Act upon Geneva commitment, NPC urges GoSL
[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 March 2006, 17:25 GMT]
The National Peace Council (NPC), a Colombo based peace group, on Tuesday urged the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to apprehend and deal with the armed groups that were responsible for continued attacks on Liberation Tigers. "The attack on an LTTE security point within the LTTE-controlled territory that has left two LTTE cadres dead is a serious cause for concern as it threatens the credibility of the commitment made by the Government of Sri Lanka, the NPC said in a press release. "If those responsible are not immediately apprehended and dealt with, it is likely this will set a precedent for further attacks that would completely undermine the Geneva agreement," NPC statement said.
Full text of the statement follows: Activities In Contravention Of Geneva Agreement Need To Be Stopped The centre piece of the agreement arrived at between the government and LTTE in Geneva was their mutual commitment to end violence against each other and the civilian population. The attack on an LTTE security point within the LTTE-controlled territory that has left two LTTE cadre dead is a serious cause for concern as it threatens the credibility of that agreement. If those responsible are not immediately apprehended and dealt with, it is likely this will set a precedent for further attacks that would completely undermine the Geneva agreement. The recent attack took place within the LTTE-controlled area to which the government forces have no legitimate access in terms of the Ceasefire Agreement. On the other hand, there has been evidence in the past of the presence of armed groups in government-controlled areas, which has been adversely commented on by the international monitors. During the Geneva talks, the LTTE provided the government with a comprehensive list of these armed Tamil groups and their top ranking members. In Geneva, the government committed itself "to taking all necessary measures in accordance with the Ceasefire Agreement to ensure that no armed group or persons other than government security forces will carry arms or conduct armed operations." If the Geneva talks are to be successful, the activities of these armed groups have to be stopped. They cannot be permitted to act violently in the face of both the Ceasefire Agreement and the Geneva agreement. The National Peace Council calls for restraint on the part of the LTTE and calls on the government to ensure that no third party carries arms or conducts armed operations. A tit-for-tat response will surely destroy the credibility of the Geneva agreement and will even put the Ceasefire Agreement under strain. In order for the peace process to be sustainable, the life of people must change on the ground and a foundation of mutual trust and commitment must be developed between the government and LTTE prior to the next round of talks in April.
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