Britain urges Govt, LTTE to resume talks
Rajmi MANATUNGA
COLOMBO: British High Commissioner Dominick Chilcott yesterday called
upon both the Government and the LTTE to seize the present opportunity
to resume negotiations towards finding a lasting political solution to
the ethnic conflict.
Expressing United Kingdom’s support for Tuesday’s statement issued by
the Co-Chairs urging the two parties to return to the negotiating table,
Chilcott said the early cessation of hostilities and a renewed
commitment to the Ceasefire Agreement was the wish of all who have the
best interests of Sri Lanka at heart.
“We want to see an early cessation of hostilities, a renewed and
sincere commitment by both sides to honour the spirit and letter of the
CFA and, without a long delay, the resumption of talks on an overall
settlement,” Chilcott said addressing a ceremony in Colombo to launch
the Landmine Monitor Report 2006.
He said UK has learnt from its experience in Northern Ireland that
conflicts cannot be solved through military action alone.
“What will eventually stop the fighting here, as in other conflicts
around the globe, is when the people themselves have had enough of war
and make that clear and when all the parties to the conflict believe
they have the opportunity, through a credible political process, to
achieve at least some of their aspirations,” he said.
The High Commissioner also commended initiatives taken by the
Government through the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) to
formulate a constitutional framework capable of addressing the national
problem.
“To its credit, the Government is putting together the elements of
such a political process. One of the key pieces in that will be the
framework for a new constitutional dispensation in Sri Lanka. There is a
huge responsibility on those working on this question, under the
auspices of the All Party Conference, to get this aspect right”.
Appreciating the role of the Army in de-mining activities he urged
the Government to become a signatory to the Ottawa Treaty of 1997 which
requires State parties to give up the use of land mines.
“Doing this now, at a time when tensions are high and when fighting
has intensified, would send a particularly strong signal to people in
the North and East. It could go a long way to reinforcing confidence in
the government amongst the people of those areas,” he added.
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