It is heartening and encouraging that media reports (AFP, Reuters etc) have cited the Secretary-General of the LTTE’s Peace Secretariat Mr.Puleedevan as saying that the LTTE stands committed to observing the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) as well as taking forward the peace process. This is indeed heartening. We were also informed by the Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar following his meeting with the Head of LTTE’s Political Wing S.P.Thamilselvan on 21st June that the LTTE had responded positively to the clarifications sought by the Royal Norwegian Government by way of five questions relating to the security of the SLMM monitors as well as the role and composition of the SLMM.

While we welcome this development and encourage the LTTE to make a formal commitment to return to the negotiations, we are concerned that the LTTE has informed the Norwegian facilitator that the change in the composition of the SLMM aimed at excluding EU members (i.e. Sweden, Denmark and Finland) should be effected within one month, instead of the 6 months transitional period suggested by Norway. This is an unreasonable demand that ignores the service provided by the group of Scandinavian monitors to Sri Lanka’s peace process and is oblivious to the realities of international relations. In order to ensure the effective monitoring of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) as well as to advance the peace process, it is highly impractical to expect that these changes could be effected within a one month period as demanded by the LTTE. We hope that the LTTE would reconsider its position and agree to Norway’s more practical and reasonable suggestion.

The Government has constantly and consistently reiterated its own commitment to the peace process. This is in addition to the call to the LTTE to engage in negotiations either directly or through the good offices of the Norwegian facilitator. Further, the Government has already responded in the affirmative to the clarifications sought by Norway relating to the SLMM. The Government consistent with the desires of all our people, in particular those living in the North and the East, is open to the resumption of the Geneva Talks and is ever prepared to even proceed directly to engaging the LTTE in peace talks on core political and substantive issues, in addition to discussing the humanitarian and development issues relating to the North and the East.

We therefore are hopeful that following a positive response from the LTTE’s Peace Secretariat that the stage would be set to get the peace talks back on track. This is what the Peoples of this country want regardless of their ethnicity or religion. Neither the LTTE nor the GoSL can disregard the aspirations and sentiments of the people for a just and a durable peace.