RANIL SUBMITS A DRAFT RESOLUTION FOR AN INTERIM GOVERNMENT TO LTTE AND BOTH PARTIES ANNOUNCE RESUMPTION OF TALKS IN WEEKS
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles
June 25. 12.30PM: Following the submission of a new draft resolution for an interim government for Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern provinces by the Ranil Wickremesinghe government to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam( LTTE ) both parties separately announced the deadlocked peace negotiations would be resumed soon.
The Sri Lankan Prime Minister submitted the new draft resolution giving power to the rebel group with the help of Norwegian facilitators in London to the rebel group’s chief negotiator Anton Balasingham. Ministers G.L.Peiris, and Milinda Moragoda, Attorney General Kamalasabesan and Secretary of the Prime Minister Bradman Weerakoon took part in these discussions.
The Prime Minister submitted the draft resolution amidst new challenges posed by the LTTE by endangering the fragile peace by ordering an LTTE gun man to walk into a main police station in the capital city of Colombo and killing a leading police officer in the country investigating in to the criminal activities of the rebel group in the government controlled areas. The LTTE also killed many Tamil leaders challenging the LTTE power.
The Prime Minister addressing the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry June 24 said news about the resumption of talks would be announced in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile the official news website of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the Tamil Net said the peace negotiations suspended for the last so many months would be resumed soon. The talks were suspended after the LTTE demanded from the government to act outside the country’s constitution and create an interim government for the Northern and Eastern Provinces with the power in the hands of the rebel group.
London sources said a draft resolution of the government giving some power to the LTTE terrorist group was already in the hands of the LTTE leadership in Wanni as well as its chief negotiator. Anton Balasingham told the Tamil Net,” If a concrete set of proposals is presented the LTTE will study the frame work and suggest improvements. Thereafter, the parties could enter into negotiations to formalize and finalize the envisaged interim administration.”
Both Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and LTTE chief negotiator Anton Balasingham said Norwegian special envoy Mr. Eric Solheim and Lisa Golden, executive officer of the Royal Norwegian Foreign Ministry had shuttle discussions with both parties. They described the discussions as positive.
Ranil Wickremesinghe also told the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry that his government would continue with the privatization program of state enterprises in Sri Lanka and amend labor laws to facilitate foreign investors. He said Sri Lanka could provide a labor force at low wages for foreign investors better than any other south Asian country.
