Towards a meaningful ceasefire

A meaningful ceasefire. This is emerging as the State's prime requirement in its forthcoming talks with the LTTE. Right now, what we have is a travesty of a ceasefire and not a genuine one, particularly in view of the more than 5,000 ceasefire violations by the LTTE since February 2002. Whereas the law enforcers have largely silenced their guns, the Tigers seem to have understood this situation to mean that clandestine and not so clandestine killings could go on.

Thus, the continual Tiger-triggered bloodletting has gone on apace and this has made the Ceasefire Agreement meaningless. This is the reason why State-LTTE talks should get right underway to put in place an effective ceasefire.

Ideally, the parties to the conflict should continually down arms and enable an atmosphere conducive to peace talks to take hold and this should be the immediate aim of the upcoming ceasefire deliberations. Recently, pointing to the gravity of the situation, Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said that 5,464 ceasefire violations had been committed by the LTTE between February 22, 2002 and February 4, 2006. Putting an end to such anomalies is the Government's aim.

While, hopefully, this aim would be achieved through the ceasefire talks it would be important for the LTTE to remember that they would need to be in earnest this time round if the basis is to be laid for a sound conflict - resolution process.

While the Tigers have been exploiting grey areas in the CFA, the security forces have been restraining themselves in the larger interests of peace. This is most commendable and we call on the security forces to keep-up this exemplary mode of conduct.

However, the Tigers would be making a grave error if they have come to interpret such restraint as weakness. Far from it. The security forces are more than capable of defending the national interest but cannot descend to the level of lawless elements. They are duty - bound to exercise restraint.

So, frank deliberations are most desired at this juncture between the State and the LTTE. The Tigers need to come to terms with the fact that there is no option but to lay the basis for a sound negotiatory process by helping to strengthen the CFA. If they are really sensitive to the interests of the Tamil people they would do this because the alternative would be continual conflict and bloodletting and a betrayal of the well being of the Tamil community.

Ideally, both parties need to talk from a realistic standpoint. Inasmuch as the State cannot compromise the national interest, the LTTE cannot go back on the essentials of its ideological beliefs and convictions.

The parties to the conflict need to get into each others shoes and appreciate each others basic negotiating positions.

However, what should be crystal clear is that the search for a political solution cannot be carried out amid continuing bloodshed and terror. The State is not going to succumb to such heinous tactics either. Hence the need to work towards an equitable ceasefire.