Colombo holds key to restore normalcy, says LTTE

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 June 2005, 14:51 GMT]
Government of Sri Lanka has a moral responsibility to demonstrate its serious commitment to the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) and its will to maintain the integrity of the CFA by delivering on it in terms of its obligation to restore normalcy, Mr. Thamilchelvan, LTTE's Head of Political Division, told Swiss Ambassador Mr.Bernadino Reggazzoni on Thursday in a meeting in Kilinochchi. LTTE's Political Head expressed fear over the state of the CFA in the context of "fanatical elements" trying to cash in on a volatile situation in Trincomalee and Vavuniya, the LTTE Peace Secretariat website reported.

"Government's declared intent and proclamations are of no use unless they are effectively translated into real actions on the ground and what the Tamil people see in military occupied areas, are actions that are provocative," the LTTE Peace Secretariat quoted Mr. Thamilchelvan as saying.

"Tamil people are being pushed to the fringe of frustration and are being subject to military harassment and coercion," Mr. Thamilchelvan told the Ambassador.

Post-tsunami management and the post-conflict situation could be handled effectively by keeping the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) intact with integrity and commitment by both the parties, the Ambassador for Switzerland was quoted as saying in the meeting with the LTTE's Political Head.

"The Ambassador reflected on the outcome of the International Donor Conference in Kandy and reiterated that it was the unanimous opinion of all the donor participants that a Joint Mechanism to disburse equitably the overwhelming aid for post-tsunami is a necessity and there is no alternative for it", the report added.

Mr. S. Puleedevan, Secretary General of the LTTE Peace Secretariat and the Chief of Thamil Eelam Police, Mr. P. Nadesan participated in the meeting.

Associated with the Ambassador in the meeting was Mr.Martin Steurzinger of the Swiss Foreign Office, according to sources in Kilinochchi.

Appreciating the spontaneity with which the people of Switzerland overwhelmingly contributed towards the post-tsunami reconstruction efforts, Mr. Thamilchelvan said that the LTTE is equally committed to maintain the CFA and has exercised maximum flexibility in accepting the Norwegian proposals for a Joint Mechanism.