the Government of Sri Lanka continues to uphold and comply with the ceasefire Agreement with LttE

Foreign Minister – 26/04/2006

Your Excellencies,

Distinguished Heads of Agencies,

I wish to thank you for being present at short notice. We thought it would be useful to brief you on the current situation. this we do, not only because of your interest and involvement in supporting the Government’s efforts in finding a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict, but also as we indicated in our last Briefing, the Ministry considers regular exchanges of views being useful to both sides.

As Your Excellencies are aware, during the past weeks the Government, with the assistance of the Norwegian facilitator and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission has been making sustained and consistent efforts to make the LttE come to Geneva as scheduled and as agreed at the previous round of talks. this, the Government did despite an escalating campaign of terror attacks through claymore mines and attacks directed against the civilians at trincomalee market place and in Morawewa which were clearly placing the ceasefire and peace process in great jeopardy. the Government did all it possibly could to facilitate the requests by the LttE to prepare for Geneva II talks, even going to the extent of providing transport facilities by sea, by air and by land, ignoring a sustained campaign of unprovoked terror attacks costing the lives of over 47 unarmed security forces personnel, some of whom were returning home for new year holidays. Even when the LttE carried out bomb attacks against the civilians in trincomalee and in Morawewa, the Government in consultation with the SLMM has not withdrawn the transport facility. On the contrary we have continued to provide options including making available sea planes of Sri Lankan Airlines for the transportation of LttE military cadres. Even yesterday the Peace Secretariat officials were busy discussing with the SLMM the possibility of getting LttE to agree for a Pilot to go and examine the possible water landing sites in uncleared areas. this facility is still available and I have just asked the Norwegian Government to convey this to the LttE.

However, it was evident that any reasonable person cannot escape the conclusion that the LttE is either unable or unwilling to come to Geneva II talks at this time to discuss not only the crucial ceasefire related issues such as those agreed to in the Joint Statement of Geneva I but also the larger questions of democracy, pluralism and human rights in the uncleared areas. the suicide bomb attack against the Army Commander yesterday which caused death and injuries to several civilians who came to visit patients at the nearby hospital, was yet another demonstration of this Organisation’s intransigence in relying on violence to seek and obtain whatever they wish by violent means and by shunning the process of negotiation. At a time when there is a global revulsion against suicide attacks, it is now obvious that the LttE is reverting to this abhorrent practice in order to create a backlash.

Despite this situation, the Government of Sri Lanka continues to uphold the ceasefire and encourage the facilitator and the SLMM to continue to talk to LttE to desist from this path of escalating violence and announce the dates on which they would be coming to Geneva for the second round. 

Despite the deliberate terror attack yesterday by a suicide bomber, H.E. the President and the Government have taken all necessary measures to maintain public order and assure the people of continuing efforts by the Government to maintain the ceasefire and ensure that there are no communal tensions or backlash, as desired by the LttE. the fact that people have acted with restraint and calmness up to now is a positive indication of the desire of the people to remain unprovoked and also the efficacy of measures adopted by the Government.

Following the suicide attack on the Army Commander, naval craft at trincomalee came under attack from the LttE and the security forces have carried out an operation to deter any such future attacks by the LttE from Sampur where the LttE has established military installations in violation of the CFA and bringing the trinco harbour under terrorist threat. this action is a limited operation and the GOSL hopes that the LttE will commit themselves to desist from further acts of violence and agree to dates for Geneva II through the facilitator. the security forces’ operation is an act of deterrence limited in time and scope. the Government continues to uphold and comply with the ceasefire.

His Excellency the President addressed the nation last night and he outlined his resolve to pursue the peace process as well as to take deterrent action against violence. I also would like to reiterate the Government’s commitments to continue to abide by the ceasefire. the action by the security forces even in the midst of these unprecedented provocations will continue to be limited in time and scope. It is a matter of satisfaction that communal harmony remains and no backlash has taken place although this is what was desired by perpetrators of these attacks. the President met with a broad cross-section of the all political parties last night who have indicated that there should be a bipartisan support for President’s approach of supporting the peace process and deterrent action against future violent activities by the LttE. Political leaders from all the parties within and outside the Government have gone on the media and made constructive interventions urging people to remain calm and cooperate with law enforcement authorities. You would appreciate that the situation in the country at large has remained calm even without a curfew being declared.

Meanwhile the Government will continue to pursue preparatory work for the eventual talks in Geneva. the Government urges international community to make it very clear to the LttE that if it continues to persist with suicide attacks and other terrorist acts against the security forces and civilians, there will be tangible and specific international actions against the LttE and its front organizations operating in different countries. Such actions by the international community will create political space for the Government to continue with the ceasefire and the peace process. We have always appreciated your efforts to pursue the peace process.