US, UK hail successful talks

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 September 2002, 15:25 GMT]
(News Feature) The United States and Britain Thursday welcomed the successful conclusion of the first round of talks between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers in Thailand this week. Comments by both governments are the latest in a series of supporting statements by several countries including China, South Africa and Iran. The negotiations which took place with Norwegian facilitation at a Thai naval base in Sittahip lasted Monday through Wednesday.

“The successful conclusion of the first round of talks is an important first step on the long road to a lasting peace for Sri Lanka,” British Foreign Office Minister Mike O'Brien said. “We encourage the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE to build on what has been achieved in the first round and take the process forward.”

“I commend both sides for the courage they have shown in ensuring a positive start to this process. I also pay tribute to the Norwegian facilitation team and the Government of Thailand for their contribution to getting the talks started,” he said.

In a statement issued Thursday, the US embassy in Colombo said: “The U.S. has carefully reviewed the press statement issued by the Norwegian government reporting the results of the negotiations.”

“We praise the commitment of both sides to sustain the ceasefire, move forward with the peace process, and work toward a final settlement of the conflict. In moving forward, it is positive that the two sides have agreed to a schedule of meetings in the coming months,” the US statement said.

The U.S. also welcomed the decision of both sides to form joint bodies focused on the return of displaced persons to their homes, and improving the humanitarian situation in the North and East, saying it was “committed to supporting these vital objectives.”

“We are hopeful that the negotiating process inaugurated by the two sides will lead to a permanent end to the conflict based on the principles of democracy and respect for human rights, while maintaining Sri Lanka’s territorial integrity,” the US said.

“As we have noted before, we sense that the conditions are favorable for a desirable outcome. We again salute the Norwegian government’s able facilitation of the talks and the Thai government for hosting them,” the US statement concluded.

China this week pledged full support and aid for the peace process in Sri Lanka and expressed the hope that it would lead to more stability not only in the island but in the whole of South Asia. The firm pledge of support was given by Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan at extensive talks with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in New York.

Also welcoming the talks, South African Foreign Affairs ministry said in a statement this week: “Peace in Sri Lanka will facilitate conditions of stability required to tackle the burning issues of socio-economic development. The people of Sri Lanka deserve peace and stability.”

South African Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad said: "In a world beset by the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Central Asia, the imminent threat of war in the Gulf region, and the heinous acts of terrorism that continue to plague our planet, the South African government and the people of South Africa are heartened by the many positive signs that portend an end to the conflict in Sri Lanka."

On Wednesday, Iran also expressed support for peace efforts in Sri Lanka. "The Iranian government welcomes opening of formal direct talks between the Sri Lankan government and [LTTE]," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying.

Asefi hoped that the negotiations between the two sides will lead to a settlement of the conflict and bring about unity, solidarity, real peace and territorial integrity for Sri Lanka and said the continued observation by both sides of a permanent ceasefire signed February was a “good omen which has paved the ground for these negotiations.”