Direct negotiations necessary to contain violence - Akashi

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 May 2006, 15:21 GMT]
"It is important to have direct negotiations to de-escalate violence which have come very far", Japan's peace envoy to Sri Lanka Yasushi Akashi said Wednesday, speaking to journalists in Colombo before leaving to New Delhi. Meanwhile the Liberation Tigers have told the Japanese envoy that Colombo should cease all extra-judicial killings and stop deliberately creating obstacles to conduct a safe travel of their Eastern commanders.



Mr. Yasushi Akashi met the Liberation Tigers Political Head Mr.S.P. Thamilchelvan Tuesday in Kilinochchi.

The LTTE Political Head told media after his meeting with the Japanese Envoy that the International Community has promised that they were exerting pressure on the Sri Lankan Government.

He charged Colombo for killing more than 148 Tamil civilians after the Genava Talks.

Akashi, talking to media in Colombo Wednesday, said that only negotiations can lead to confidence building between the parties.

He said that the co-chairs will be meeting end of this month in Japan to take stock of the situation.

Akashi has also welcomed the comments made by Sri Lankan Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva in Parliament Wednesday in which the Minister said that he has been "instructed by the SL President Mahinda Rajapakse to inform Parliament that his Government vehemently condemns the recent spate of killings of civilians in Jaffna, Vavuniya and Avissawella and promised to take all necessary action to punish the perpetrators. This included the killing of the 5 Tamil students in Trincomalee where the investigations are in progress."



Minister Nimal Siripala said that the Sri Lankan President, "in his address to the Nation on 25th April, 2006, following the attack on Sri Lanka Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, specifically expressed awareness of the killings of several Tamil civilians and expressed deep concern over the killing of Mr. Vigneswaran at Trincomalee."

However, the Lankan Minister Siripala de Silva said that the allegations, by the Tamil parliamentarians, of "state terror" and "genocide" are "mere justifications for LTTE terrorism." Nimal Siripala charged that LTTE was using "human shields," in attacks against Sri Lankan armed forces.

He further charged the "so called Central Committee appeared to be an evolving and fluid notion, the government continued to oblige with the LTTE request in order to ensure that the talks in Geneva happens." The Sri Lankan minister was referring to the LTTE's reasoning for the preparatory meeting prior to Geneva Talks.

The Liberation Tigers, since the beginning of their struggle, have been known to have a Central Committee comprised of their regional commanders and political leaders.