JHU rejects Peace Process, Norway Facilitation

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 April 2004, 13:31 GMT]
"We totally reject the present peace process as we believe it will only lead to the division of this country. We also reject the facilitation of Norway because it is partial towards the LTTE," said Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Propaganda Secretary Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera while outlining the basis of his party's position in backing the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, in an interview that appeared in today's weekly Sunday Times in Colombo.

Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera (TamilNet Library Photo)

Dhammaloka Thera further said: "Our policy is that administrative structures and powers should be decentralized within a unitary state, as opposed to devolution of power within a federal state. Federalism is a mechanism to bring together several independent states as in the case of the United States. Such a mechanism is totally inappropriate here as Sri Lanka has always been a unitary state."

Asked to comment on how he sees the peace process moving on, the Thera said, "We believe that all parties should sit at the negotiation table. It should not be confined to the government and the LTTE alone as it had been the case in the past. The opposition, the Anandasangari group, the EPDP and the Muslims should be included in the talks."

On pledges of peace articulated by Sri Lanka's President Ms.Kumaratunge, weekly Sunday Leader commented, "President Chandrika Kumaratunga last week was quick to reassure the masses and the international community that war is not imminent, but that she intends beginning peace talks "soon" with the LTTE...President has failed to outline any specific plan or conditions for a structured and comprehensive dialogue with the Tamil Tigers.The election campaign of the UPFA noticeably lacked coherence or any kind of agreement on how the alliance would handle and resolve the two-decade long ethnic conflict with the LTTE."

If UPFA were to seek JHU's support in forming the new government, JHU's articulated position on peace process will further complicate UPFA's attempts in formulating a coherent policy for restarting the peace talks with the LTTE, political observers in Colombo said.