A laudable set of aims

Chief Government negotiator, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva's statement on the eve of the State delegation's departure for the Geneva talks, that the Government's main aim is to discuss measures to bring peace and find a permanent solution to the National Question, we hope, would alert the LTTE to its prime responsibilities.

That is, it must cooperate with the State in ending the conflict and seriously think of bringing to a close the path of terror it has been ruthlessly traversing thus far.

The Government is being most flexible and considerate, to say the least. Following its most recent military successes, in particularly the East, the State could very well afford to continue with the military option, since it holds the whip-hand over the LTTE.

The Tigers' Sampur debacle, for example, should have driven home to the LTTE the futility of persisting with the terror option. It should be clear to the LTTE that it just cannot defeat the Security Forces in even a prolonged violent campaign. The message the Tigers should have received from the East is that there is no alternative to a negotiated solution.

The State, on the other hand, could have pressed on with the military option but sees the wisdom in negotiating in earnest, because prolonged armed confrontation would not help in finding a permanent solution to the conflict.

As explained by the State on several occasions, the recent military operations launched by it have only been aimed at defusing threats to national security. However, it realises that the final solution cannot be found by military means alone.

Accordingly, the Tigers would do well to cooperate with the State in negotiating an end to the conflict. It would do this if it has even an iota of consideration for the Tamil people.

As explained by Government Defence Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, the Government's aim is to resolve the problems of the Tamil people. This makes perfect sense because our conflict has its roots in the grievances of the Tamil people.

Therefore, a resolution of their grievances should help in resolving the conflict. This is the reason why the State is emphatic about negotiating an end to the conflict.

The Tigers could be resoundingly defeated in the battle field but this would not amount to resolving the conflict permanently because the problem cannot be solved once and for all, until the legitimate grievances of the Tamil people are successfully sorted out. This could be accomplished only through a political solution which addresses the concerns of the Tamil people.

The Tigers, then, would do well to cooperate with the State in negotiating an end to the conflict if it is really in earnest when it says that it is concerned about the Tamil people. It would be foolhardy to ignore this option because prolonged fighting would take the Tigers nowhere on account of the superior military capabilities and might of the Security Forces.

Meanwhile, the Government is doing right by facilitating the fulfillment of the humanitarian needs of the Tamil people. This is also a 'hearts and minds' battle and the State needs to go the extra mile to meet the everyday needs of the Tamil people. The State is also doing right by continuing to supply the North-East with its essential material requirements.

Such measures are the means by which a nation could be fully established because all sections of the people need to be encouraged to identify with the State. A caring State usually facilitates this process.

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Defense Column:

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