Counter proposals not conducive to peace- Vanni MP

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 December 2004, 17:03 GMT]
"The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) should desist from placing counter proposals before resuming negotiations. GoSL should be prepared to resume talks on the basis of Interim Self-Governing Authority proposals. Any further delay has the potential to lead Sri Lanka into another dark period of war and destruction. I urge the Sinhala parties speak with a unified, consistent voice, and enter peace talks," said Tamil national Alliance (TNA) Vanni District MP Mr Sathasivam Kanagaratnam when TamilNet talked to him Saturday.

"Sri Lanka's President Chandrrika Kumaratunge accepted the importance of the ISGA proposals, when we met her in June. The LTTE has said it was ready to have discussions with any group about the conflct. The onus is on Ms Kumartunge to find ways to bring JVP and Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) parties into her fold, and take necessary steps towards restarting the peace talks.

"Three years have gone by since the cease fire (CFA) agreement was signed and if talks do not begin soon, it will place enormous strain on the survival of CFA. The International Community has also expressed concern the prolonged delay in talks will have on the CFA.

"The Government should also be prepared to take extra-constitutional measures when dealing with the implementation of concepts outlined in the ISGA. Flexible interpretation of the existing constitution is also critical to making progress in the peace talks," the MP said.

"Clear evidence of Sri Lanka Government's complicity in many violence incidents point to violations of the CeaseFire Agreement (CFA) by the Security Forces. The Government's main interest seems to be to portray the situation as peaceful with the aim of getting access to the promised aid.

"The entrenched political rivalry between the main political parties, United national party, and ruling coalition that includes the Srilanka freedom party (SLFP), Janatha Vimukthy peramuna (JVP)) are serious impediments to the furtherance of the peace process," the MP told TamilNet.