10/31/2006
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The government, otherwise, asked to stop all Tamil Tigers terrorist strikes to
start again the peace talks.
This sticking point reflects the contradictions of a country the more in more divided. The Ltte’s absolute refusal of compromise make expect for Sri Lanka tragic weeks to come with an escalation of violence, attacks, retaliation and military raids. In August, more than 100 people died in the two worst days since the war broke out again. In those day, the government forces air struck a school and killed 41 girls. In October, more than 90 died in Tigers’ biggest kamikaze attack to a military column.
Recently, UN mediators monitoring the respect of the 2002 peace treaty had to leave their centre in Trincomalee (North-Eastern Sri Lanka), an area under Ltte’s control, to set in Colombo city. In Trincomalee they were not safe anymore, since the Tamil Tigers have declared intolerable the presence of EU citizens in their land. This politic followed Brussels’ inclusion of the Tigers in the terrorist organisations list.
General Ulf Henricsson, head of the UN mission in Sri Lanka (SLMM) then, criticized the EU and declared that it had given Colombo city a free hand to carry out an horrible reprisal. Since then, the retaliation acts hit many dozen thousands of civilians who have lived in a state of siege.
The UN SLMM had been frequently suspected of partiality so, on 1st September, it chanced its own composition and reduced its members: now all the monitors are from Norway and Iceland, not-EU citizens. Norwegian Lars Johan Solvberg is the new head of the mission.
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Another useless round of peace talks between Sri Lanka's government and Tamil rebels
As promised by the Tamil Tigers, Sri Lanka new peace negotiation failed after
the government veto about the re-opening of the highway A9 between the country
and the peninsula of Jaffna. The parties left Geneva, where they had met on 28th
and 29th October, with neither an agreement nor a date for a new meeting.
The war broke out one year ago, even if the 2002 treaty of peace should assure
the ceasefire. The talks in Geneva between the Ltte (the party which supports
Tamil national independence) and Colombo city representatives was full of hopes.
It followed the failure of another assembly in February and, since then, more
then 3,000 had died and 200,000 were left homeless.
Norwegian mediators expected at least a formal agreement on the respect of the ceasefire, often disregarded especially by the Tigers. But the Tamil rebels were irremovable: no highway, no dialogue. They denounced that in the Tamil peninsula an humanitarian crisis has been in act since the A9, the only way between Jaffna and the South, has been closed. All goods have to be sent from Colombo city, by sea or by air.
"To interrupt the highway is like building up a new Berlin wall - Tamil Tigers spokesman S. P. Thamilchelvan said - The northern part of Sri Lanka has become a prison for 600,000 people, who suffer the occupation of a 30,000-soldier army’. Before the formal ceasefire, the highway had been closed for 8 years between 1994 and 2002. Since then, often the Tigers have taxed goods and people using it to finance the revolt.
The war broke out one year ago, even if the 2002 treaty of peace should assure
the ceasefire. The talks in Geneva between the Ltte (the party which supports
Tamil national independence) and Colombo city representatives was full of hopes.
It followed the failure of another assembly in February and, since then, more
then 3,000 had died and 200,000 were left homeless.
Norwegian mediators expected at least a formal agreement on the respect of the ceasefire, often disregarded especially by the Tigers. But the Tamil rebels were irremovable: no highway, no dialogue. They denounced that in the Tamil peninsula an humanitarian crisis has been in act since the A9, the only way between Jaffna and the South, has been closed. All goods have to be sent from Colombo city, by sea or by air.
"To interrupt the highway is like building up a new Berlin wall - Tamil Tigers spokesman S. P. Thamilchelvan said - The northern part of Sri Lanka has become a prison for 600,000 people, who suffer the occupation of a 30,000-soldier army’. Before the formal ceasefire, the highway had been closed for 8 years between 1994 and 2002. Since then, often the Tigers have taxed goods and people using it to finance the revolt.
The government, otherwise, asked to stop all Tamil Tigers terrorist strikes to
start again the peace talks.
This sticking point reflects the contradictions of a country the more in more divided. The Ltte’s absolute refusal of compromise make expect for Sri Lanka tragic weeks to come with an escalation of violence, attacks, retaliation and military raids. In August, more than 100 people died in the two worst days since the war broke out again. In those day, the government forces air struck a school and killed 41 girls. In October, more than 90 died in Tigers’ biggest kamikaze attack to a military column.
Recently, UN mediators monitoring the respect of the 2002 peace treaty had to leave their centre in Trincomalee (North-Eastern Sri Lanka), an area under Ltte’s control, to set in Colombo city. In Trincomalee they were not safe anymore, since the Tamil Tigers have declared intolerable the presence of EU citizens in their land. This politic followed Brussels’ inclusion of the Tigers in the terrorist organisations list.
General Ulf Henricsson, head of the UN mission in Sri Lanka (SLMM) then, criticized the EU and declared that it had given Colombo city a free hand to carry out an horrible reprisal. Since then, the retaliation acts hit many dozen thousands of civilians who have lived in a state of siege.
The UN SLMM had been frequently suspected of partiality so, on 1st September, it chanced its own composition and reduced its members: now all the monitors are from Norway and Iceland, not-EU citizens. Norwegian Lars Johan Solvberg is the new head of the mission.
Luca Galassi
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