POLITICS

A gentle nudge to the peace
process amidst Muslim concerns

Yasushi Akashi	Ranil Wickremesinghe	G. L. Peiris
By Frederica Jansz Balanced precariously on a see-saw of political machinations the peace process on Friday, September 12, received a gentle nudge as 12 donor countries and seven international organisations met at the Colombo Hilton to review a pledge to Sri Lanka of US $ 4.5 billion made in June this year at Tokyo.  The aid donor meeting held at the Colombo Hilton was the result of a decision taken in Tokyo to regularly review the assistance pledged by donor countries. This was the first meeting to be held following the Tokyo Conference. The meeting was chaired by Yasushi Akashi,

European Union and the USA.  Both the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE were invited. The LTTE however did not respond to the invitation.

Country Director, World Bank in Colombo, Peter Harrold said he would have been "shocked" if the LTTE had indeed agreed to participate at Friday's donor meeting. He reiterated, their non-participation was expected and came as no surprise to the donor community. 

Charge d' Affaires, European Union, Wouter Wilton described Friday's meeting as being relatively routine. "It was more an up and down process," he said, adding "it was merely a review of the commitment made in Tokyo." 

Wilton also maintained the non-participation of the LTTE was not surprising. However he said that Yasushi Akashi when he meets with the LTTE in Killinochchi would brief the organisation on the discussions held at Friday's Colombo meeting and any response, Akashi would make available to the donor community.

At Friday's meeting the donor community had expressed an interest to see the peace process move forward, but urged strict adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding. Paragraph 18 of the Tokyo Declaration has been reaffirmed and reiterated that assistance by the donor community must be closely linked to substantial and parallel progress in the peace process.

Before the proceedings began on Friday, one minute's silence was observed for Sweden's slain Foreign Minister Anna Lindh. Lindh was stabbed in the chest, stomach and arms by a man while shopping in Stockholm last Wednesday, September 10. She died two days later.

Ushers at the Colombo donor meeting however were confused and were heard telling latecomers that the one minute silence was in respect of the Buddhist prelate, the late Ven. Madihe Pannasiha Mahanayake Thera.   Last Friday's meeting was not without its moments of drama and titillation.

Following the meeting being opened by Akashi, Prof. G. L. Peiris detailed an overview of the present situation of the peace process. Prof. Peiris maintained that Sri Lanka was in the second phase of the process and that negotiations would doubtless be difficult while many challenges lay ahead.

An interesting development was when Prof. Peiris referred to the peace talks held in Oslo last December and reiterated the LTTE's commitment to renounce violence and to adopt a federal solution.

Hardly had Prof. Peiris concluded his speech when Minister Rauf Hakeem who was not scheduled to speak made a passionate plea to the international community present. He said he was not speaking as a representative of the government but as leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and as a Muslim. He said that the LTTE had reneged on the promise to allow a Muslim delegation to be represented at the negotiating table. Also, that since the ceasefire the LTTE was responsible for having displaced 37,000 Muslims from Muttur alone. He spoke about the continuing violence perpetrated by the LTTE on Muslims in the Eastern Province, the extortions, child abductions and assassinations committed almost systematically by the LTTE since the ceasefire and MOU was signed.

He charged that the LTTE has fallen far short of their pledges to renounce violence and appealed to the international community to take serious note of the security threat to Muslims in the Eastern Province.

Under threat

He repeatedly asserted that law and order has broken down crying out, "we are at the mercy of the LTTE. The government writ is seriously violated while Muslims are under threat for their lives." He added that the LTTE is in the process of ethnically cleansing the Eastern Province of the Muslim population. 

Hakeem's outburst was listened to with almost stony-faced silence and the donor community fearful of the meeting turning provocative, remained subdued. Only a few raised eyebrows indicated any reaction to Hakeem's statements. 

The SLMC Leader's plea however bore some repercussions and at the subsequent tea break a senior diplomat confided to another senior government official that the position of Prof. G. L. Peiris soft peddling the LTTE appears to be an attempt to safeguard his own life. "Maybe he is taking out an insurance against the LTTE, afraid he too will become one more target for assassination for one of the LTTE's suicide bomber's as they have done with many other Sri Lankan politicians," he said.  Prof. G. L. Peiris meantime further reiterated that Peter Harrold of the World Bank had shown him photographs of the amount of development work that has been done with regard to infrastructure in the country. 

Diplomats however were heard to comment tongue in cheek that they cannot invest in infrastructure development unless there is progress at the talks. 

Before the conclusion of the meeting the Japanese tabled a document detailing the volume of investment Japan intends to make. The figure has been placed at one billion US dollars.

American Ambassador Geoffrey Lunstad meanwhile made a strong statement asserting America's deep concern at what has been perceived to be the LTTE's attempts to undermine the peace process. The Ambassador almost issued a warning note reiterating that this situation cannot continue and the LTTE must renounce violence publicly.

The US Ambassador's statement in fact was in stark contrast to the other more cautious statements made at the donor meeting.

The participating countries and international organisations had cautiously welcomed the continuing commitment of both parties to the peace process and their continued efforts to resume peace talks, with a view to achieving a durable peace based on a federal structure within a united Sri Lanka.

They reiterated their strong commitment to continue and intensify reconstruction and development assistance to the south as part of a commitment made in Tokyo to extend an amount of US $ 4.5 billion as aid.

Presentations were made by the Sri Lankan government on the progress of capacity building after the Tokyo Conference as well as on the reconstruction and development policy based on the Regaining Sri Lanka document. The donors urged the government of Sri Lanka to make further efforts to improve its capacity.

The meeting on Friday, it was stressed, was merely a routine review of the peace process and economic restructuring. A senior government official said special efforts were made to ensure the meeting was neutral and in no way provocative.

Modalities

The participants discussed the implementation of donor assistance after the Tokyo Conference, development policy and capacity building by both parties, inter-linkage between progress in the peace process and implementation of donor support, future assistance by donors and follow-up modalities.

The participating countries included Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, America and the Netherlands. International donor organisations were represented by the European Commission, Asian Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, UNDP, UNHCR, United Nations Children's Fund and World Bank.

Minister Milinda Moragoda too had outlined details of the required development assistance.  The general mood of the conference has been to reiterate the interest of the international community in helping rebuild Sri Lanka, in a manner that would in no way jeopardise the peace process. 

Aid to the south had once more been committed but a substantive aid package for the north is being dangled carrot style in order to persuade the LTTE to return to the negotiating table. 

The previous day, on Thursday, Yasushi Akashi met with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at Temple Trees. This meeting too had been part of a review of what had taken place over the last three months in relation to the peace process and economic development. 

No unrealistic goals had been set by either the Premier or Akashi. It was agreed that the LTTE has made it clear they will not bow to pressure and deadlines. The Prime Minister had indicated to Akashi that a date for the next round of talks hinges on the LTTE's response to the interim proposals. 

The 7 p.m. meeting between Akashi and the Prime Minister was preceded by the Premier paying his last respects to Sri Lanka's longest serving Buddhist prelate, the Most Ven. Madihe Pannasiha Mahanayake Thera.   Wickremesinghe was accompanied by Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar who was dressed in full European style dark suit. At the Sri Vajiragnana Dharmayatanaya in Maharagama however, all those who arrived in any colour of clothing other than white were wrapped in white cloth and only then allowed to pay their last respects to the monk.

As a result Brattskar was shrouded in a white cloth from shoulder to heel in an attempt to cover his dark suit. Wickremesinghe fortunately was clothed in white and so did not require the shroud.

Follow up

Meantime a cabinet minister who requested anonymity asserted that donor assistance to the north is tied to the resumption of peace talks except, humanitarian aid. The LTTE unfortunately has not so far been particularly forthcoming even with regard to humanitarian assistance which he said has made it that much more difficult to identify areas in which such aid may be provided at least in this aspect to the northern peninsula.

The participating countries and international organisations agreed to continue a follow-up of the Tokyo Conference in close consultation with both parties. The participants proposed that the next consultative group meeting would be held in Colombo in mid 2004.

The next follow up meeting meantime may be held at the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

Ambassadorial meetings would be held in Colombo whenever appropriate, with the participation of ambassadors and resident representatives in Colombo as well as senior officials from capitals.

Akashi is scheduled to meet with the LTTE in their Wanni stronghold today, Sunday. Meanwhile the Norwegian facilitators will arrive in the country this week in a bid to restart the talks. Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgessen and Special Envoy Erik Solheim will arrive in Colombo next Wednesday for talks with both sides.

The meetings would be crucial with the two negotiators trying to access when the LTTE would be ready for face to face negotiations.

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