Maintaining symmetry of power, key to meaningful peace talks- Adaikalanathan

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 December 2005, 20:34 GMT]
“Instead of choosing a constructive political path setting incremental milestones to monitor progress in addressing the national crisis, various Sri Lanka governments in power, were preoccupied with an "oppressive mindset" and have attempted to weaken the Tamil struggle by purposely dragging out peace processes,” said TNA parliamentarian Selvam Adaikalanathan, speaking to TamilNet Friday. He said that a meaningful peace process is possible only if the prevailing strategic symmetry of power is maintained between the two parties.

The International Community should act constructively to maintain the status quo that forms the foundation of the cease fire, Adaikalanathan further said.

“Expectations and hopes of the International community and thousands of tsunami–affected Tamil families were shattered when the Sinhala polity used provisions in the Unitary constitution to derail the Post Tsunami Operations and Management Structure (P-TOMS). Supreme court appears to apply constitutional jurisprudence selectively to cases that benefit Sinhala community. While the court deemed it prudent to defer action on the constitutionality challenge to the MoU which paved the way for three years of peace, it chose to invalidate key provisions of P-TOMS using constitutionality arguments,” he told TamilNet after meeting European Commisssion official, Mr. Herve Jouanjean.

TNA Members of Parliament R. Sampanthan, Joseph Pararajasingham, Suresh Premachandran, Selvam Adaikalanathan, and Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam met with the Deputy Director-General for Asia and Latin America of the European Commission, Mr. Herve Jouanjean, at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday.

Jouanjean was sent to Sri Lanka as the personal envoy of the Director General for external relations of the European Commission to study the political situation regarding the peace process, as a precurser to the forthcoming Co-Chairs meeting scheduled for 19th of December.

Associated with Jouanjean was the Head of the delegation of the European Commission to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Ambassador Julian Wilson.

The meeting lasted for more than an hour, sources added.

Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham MP, the leader of the Foreign Relations Committee of the TNA, told TamilNet that the meeting was constructive as many issues pertaining to the ethnic conflict and the current peace process were discussed.

"We have clearly identified to the European delegation the issues affecting Tamil people and possible alternative options available to them in resolving these issues, Mr Parajasingham said.

"If the peace process is to be saved the International Community should impress on the the Sri Lankan state to deliver quickly proposals that meet Tamil aspirations," he said. Pararajasingham further that the delegation emphasized to the EU official that Sri Lanka military, working with paramilitary forces in violation of the CFA agreement, is the main cause of the violence and tension in NorthEast.