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Essential conditions for peace

On the eve of the fifth round of GoSL-LTTE peace negotiations to be held in Berlin, the opinion gaining ground in Sri Lanka is that human rights should take priority in the talks. This comes in the wake of widespread allegations that the LTTE is continuing its conscription drive among the children of the North-East and that it is riding roughshod over the rights of the Muslim minority in the conflict-affected areas. The charge is also frequently made that the LTTE is continuing to be authoritarian and intolerant in its relations with the public.

Many are the occasions when the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission and its regional bodies had been called on to investigate and issue pronouncements on human rights violations of this kind. But as has been already admitted, the SLMM mandate is such that it could only probe these complaints and issue admonitions on them to the offending party, if there are grounds for this measure. The SLMM is not endowed with the authority to punish the perpetrators of human rights violations.

The past year of ceased hostilities has seen mixed results in the peace effort. It is clear that the positive far outweigh the negative in the conflict resolution process, although many are its detractors who constantly cry "foul" and seem determined to see and magnify only the perceived negative fallout from this unprecedented endeavour to douse the flames of war. However, among those who wish this country well, a constructive and hopeful spirit needs to persist. They need to see that the proverbial baby cannot be thrown out with the bath water. The peace process cannot be denigrated and dismissed on account of a few limitations which should only be expected. The peace endeavour should be further consolidated and advanced while every effort must be made to eliminate its negative features. This is the foremost challenge of the future.

Although Sri Lanka's cup should be seen as "half full" rather than "half empty", it is not beyond the realms of the possible to minimise the limitations which are dogging the peace effort. We believe that at the upcoming talks the alleged human rights violations of the LTTE need to be discussed and a mutually - acceptable mechanism for their curtailment be put in place. The peace which would finally ensue needs to ensure that the rights of every man, woman and child, irrespective of race, creed or religion, wherever they may be, will be respected and sustained. This is an essential precondition for a honourable peace. It is difficult to see how the denial of these conditions could constitute peace.

Specifically, the Lankan Government should ensure that the LTTE would adhere to a human rights regime, under which the people of the North-East would be free to pursue their legitimate interests. On this question there can be no more quibbling. There is no question of any section of our people living under a tyranny in the name of peace.

Indeed, this should be the people's lot everywhere in Sri Lanka. It was war and bloodshed which acted as a catalyst in the curtailment of human rights. Accordingly, the realisation of the conditions of normalcy should spell the complete and unfettered exercise of fundamental freedoms everywhere in the country, North, South, East or West.

The Lankan State is quite aware of the fact that there can be no peace without power-sharing. This needs to be realised by also the critics of the peace process. The terms on which this would be brought into being needs to be spelt out in the new constitution which parties to the conflict hope to draw up. However, greater power devolution on the regions would carry as an essential feature democratic freedoms for the public.

Consequently, power in the regions wouldn't remain concentrated in a few hands. It will be held collectively, by the people of the respective regions.

It is, therefore, important that we lay down, without further delay, the parameters within which the future Lankan polity would evolve.

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