President cannot prolong No war, No peace situation - Jaffna Daily

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 November 2004, 10:03 GMT]
''The Sri Lankan President should take urgent and constructive steps if the cease fire agreement is to survive'', said the Jaffna Tamil daily Uthyan in its editorial Monday, commenting on Colombo's stand on the peace process in the aftermath of Great Heroes' Day speech of LTTE leader Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan. The paper referred to recent statements from the Government prior to the LTTE leader's urgent appeal on Saturday that peace talks should be resumed.

''War or Peace was the recent clarion call by Anura Bandaranaiake, the President's brother, and the President recently demanded that ''the Tigers must clearly and categorically state within one month whether or not they are ready for talks'', the paper said.

The paper noted that the LTTE leader has provided the ''categorical reply'', ''well within that time frame.''

''War or peace'' call of the President has been redirected to the President by the LTTE leader in categorical style ''War or Talks'' and by this ''the ball has been put back in the President’s court'', the edit observed.

''All depends on how the ball is played'', Uthayan noted.

The paper warned that the President, the head of the Government, who has been ''dilly dallying on the peace talks and the peace process may brush aside the LTTE leader's call with her usual indifference without understanding the real import of it''.

However, the President cannot ''drag her feet any longer and prolong this situation of 'no war' and 'no permanent peace'', the paper warned.

''If the cease fire agreement and the memorandum of Understanding brought into existence by the government headed by Ranil Wickramasinga is to survive then the President must take urgent constructive steps. This is a must. It is this message that is sternly and clearly conveyed by the Heroes' Day speech. If the President permits it to be dragged in the direction the Sinhala Chauvinists pull then nothing could prevent this county being engulfed in another bloody war.'' the paper said.

''This is today’s reality.'' it declared.

''If the president thinks that she can have the Tamils locked in a political vaccum and proceed with her power 'chess game' for her selfish ends then she lives in a dream world of her own'' declared the edit.