CFA, Muslim Tamil amity, key to peace - Thamilchelvan

Pointing out that the recent escalation of violence is due to military aggression and sabotage activities of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) supported paramilitaries, LTTE's Political Head Mr. S.P.Thamilchelvan stressed the urgent need for effective implementation of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) and the critical need to maintain Muslim, Tamil amity to maintain peace, when he addressed the media following a meeting with the Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar Friday morning. The meeting that began at 9:30 a.m. lasted for one and a half hours at the LTTE's Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi.

Mr. P. Nadesan, Head of Tamileelam Police and the Head of LTTE's Peace Secretariat Mr. Pulithevan also participated in the meeting with Norwegian Ambassador Mr. Hans Brattskar. Second secretary of the Norwegian embassy, Tom knappskog accompanied Mr Brattskar to the meeting.

Referring to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's invitation to Norway to continue with its facilitatory role to the peace process in Sri Lanka, Thamilchelvan told reporters that the change of Government in Colombo is a southern affair, and that the Norwegian facilitation and the monitoring are continuing uninterrupted in LTTE controlled areas. "Our leadership has always been positive to and supportive of the Norwegian facilitatition," LTTE's political head told the reporters.

Norwegian Ambasador Mr. Hans Brattskar [right] with Tom Knappskog, second secretary of the Norwegian Embassy.

Referring to the situation in the East, LTTE's political head said LTTE was fully aware of the forces attempting to cause dissension between the Muslims and Tamils in the east. LTTE leader Mr. V. Pirapaharan has issued clear directives to district level political and military wings of the LTTE to be vigilant and to take all efforts to strengthen relationship between the two communities, Thamilchelvan told the reporters.

Thamilchelvan said the LTTE was aware of the anonymous handbills issued by nefarious forces to threaten and create fear among resettled Muslims in Jaffna. Thamilchelvan stressing the critical importance of Muslim Tamil relationship appealed to the Muslims to ignore the anonymous threats and said Tamils and Muslims should act with restraint and not fall prey to the forces attempting to create disharmony.

The Norwegian Ambassador briefed LTTE's Politicall Head on his meetings with SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa, his visit to New Delhi with former peace envoy and Norway's Minister for Development, Mr. Erik Solheim, the concerns related to the tense situation prevailing in the Jaffna peninsula and the urgent necessity for the parties to meet and find ways of effectively implementing the Cease Fire Agreement, LTTE's Peace Secretariat said.

For a question on the LTTE's stand to Mahinda Rajapakses framework of Unitary state, Thamilchelvan replied that a clear answer was provided in LTTE leader's Heroes day speech. The movement is prepared wait some time to see Mr Rajapalse'sa appraoch to peace to ascertain if the stand was a pre-election necessity, and if the new President has grasped the fundamentals of the struggle, Thamilchelvan said.

A High level delegation of the Norwegian Government would meet LTTE leadership to discuss the process forward, Mr. Thamilchelvan added and said the meeting did not focus on the process forward. It was a meeting where the official stand of the new Sri Lankan Government with regards to Norwegian facilitation was expressed, he added.

Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar shaking hands with LTTE Political Head S.P. Thamilchelvan 

President Mahinda Rajapakse presenting the Budget yesterday 

News in Brief

Muslim, Tamil factions clash in Muttur, one critically injured

One man was seriously hacked and a motorcycle belonging to another set on fire by angry mobs of two different factions belonging to two communities in Muttur yesterday afternoon. An armed gang had hacked a person with swords in the morning and the victim had been rushed to Trincomalee hospital in a critical condition.

A group of associates of the victim had tried to attack a person who was in the rival faction shortly afterwards. The person who had come on a motorcycle had fled abandoning it and the gang had set fire to the motorcycle. The Muttur police had strengthen the security in the area by deploying additional forces.

Hakeem wants review of SLMM also

SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem yesterday proposed that the Nordic Council which is the forum for the governmental co-operation of Nordic countries, should send a special team here to assess the performance of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM).

Mr. Hakeem made this suggestion when he met Japan's special peace envoy Yasushi Akashi in Colombo yesterday.

The SLMC leader told Mr. Akashi that just as much as there was a need to review the ceasefire, there was also a necessity to re-evaluate the role played by Nordic truce monitors so that they could overcome the shortcomings in their mission and perform better.

The Nordic Council which was formed in 1952 has five member countries - Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland and Sweden and three autonomous territories. The Secretariat of the council is in Copenhagen.

Mr. Hakeem also told the Japanese Peace Envoy that he saw the decision by President Rajapakse to re-invite Norway as a prudent move and appreciated India's efforts to convince the government and its allies the need to retain Norway.

Commenting on the violence unleashed on Muslims in the East, the SLMC leader suggested that Japan got stronger commitments from both the government and the LTTE that they do their maximum to ensure the maintenance of law and order in the areas. Mr. Akashi in response said Japan was concerned about the incidents of violence against the Muslims and the escalation of violence in the North as well and that he would visit the East tomorrow to meet leaders in the area. The SLMC leader stressed the importance of the co-chairs enlightening the new President on the need for an inclusion of a Muslim delegation in future talks and also the significance of engaging Muslim representatives in discussions on the North and East conflict at all levels.

Weather warning

The cyclonic storm 'Fanoos' was located about 500 km to the North-East of Trincomalee yesterday, the Department of Meteorology said in a release.

It is moving to the West. Under its influence, especially the deep sea areas off the coast extending from Jaffna to Batticaloa via Trincomalee will experience very rough conditions, strong winds and intermittent rain or thundershowers, the release said.

The Meteorology Department requested people to refrain from fishing and Naval activities in the seas and be vigilant about latest weather advisories.

No fear of war but prepared to face any LTTE threat: Admrl Sandagi

Sri Lanka's top defence official claimed here today that the country's Armed Forces ''are fully prepared to face any threat'' from the Tamil Tiger rebels but allayed increasing fears that the present volatile security situation in the North-East would not lead to yet another bloody war in the island nation.

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Daya Sandagiri, who is also the head of the Joint Operations Headquarters (JOH) said that all necessary steps had been taken to deal with the situation following the two claymore mine attacks in the Jaffna peninsula that left 15 soldiers dead within three days, keeping in mind the existing Ceasefire Agreement with the LTTE.

''The specific challenge for the armed forces at present is that the LTTE is trying to provoke the troops in Jaffna.

We are fully aware of it and not getting ourselves trapped into it. We are mindful of the situation and act with full restrain to ensure that the ceasefire agreement is continuing.

We will not breakaway from this position,'' Admiral Sandagiri, flanked by tri-service chiefs, told reporters here today.

Commenting on the current security situation in the Jaffna peninsula that has created a kind of tension within Sri Lanka and abroad, Admiral Sandagiri said that the armed forces have taken full charge of the situation and in the process of introducing some security measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

''The LTTE is trying to provoke the armed forces to meet their own strategy. But the government is standing that the peace process should continue and the negotiations should start.

Having these two situations in parallel, the government forces are well prepared to face any challenge from the LTTE. We have taken charge of the situation. One should not get exited about the small incidents of this nature,'' he said.

Claiming that those two claymore explosions ''are not acts of war, but of terrorism,'' Admiral Sandagiri said that the war was not at all imminent in the island nation.

''There are so many ceasefire violations by the LTTE.

But that does not mean that we are going for war. Under these conditions, the act of war is not something that we are mindful of. I do not consider the word war is a right application here, because it is not what we are really thinking of,'' Admiral Sandagiri said.

He, however, said that with the available defence allocation the government forces are in the process of acquiring new weapons to meet the future challenges, but refused to divulge the details of those weapons.

Meanwhile, the LTTE's political wing head, S P Thamilselvan has welcomed President Mahinda Rajapakse's move to have formally invited the Norwegian government to resume its role as facilitator ''as a reciprocal act'' to rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran's annual speech on November 27.

He has made these remarks at a meeting with Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar in the rebel-held Kilinochchi region today.

Claming that the organisation remained committed to the truce pact, Mr Thamilselvan has urged the facilitators to organise a top level meeting with the government to ''effectively implement'' the shaky truce.

''Our commitment to the CFA and the peace process remains undiluted and what we request now is to urgently arrange the high level meeting between the parties to effectively implement the CFA, for this alone can bring about normalcy and avoid confrontational postures between the civilians and the occupying military,'' an LTTE website has quoted Mr Thamilselvan as saying at the meeting with the Norwegian Ambassador.