Foreign Minister asks International Crisis Group to study reason for the breakdown of previous rounds of peace talks

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on Sunday (29 July) asked the International Crisis Group which works to prevent conflict worldwide, to undertake an in-depth study on the reason for the breakdown of a number of previous rounds of peace talks between the Sri Lanka Government and the LTTE since 1985. He said such a study will show that it was not a lack of commitment of successive Sri Lankan Governments, but the lack of interest and incapacity on the part of the LTTE to engage in a political dialogue with sincerity, that resulted in the prolongation of the conflict in Sri Lanka.

The Minister made this observation when the Chairman and CEO of the Belgium based International Crisis Group, Former Australian Foreign Minister Garath Evans called on him Sunday morning (29 July). Mr. Evans is visiting Colombo to deliver the annual Neelan Tiruchelvam Memorial oration.

The Minister commenting on the contribution made by Dr. Tiruchelvam, pointed out that the Tamil scholar-parliamentarian was one of those who had worked tirelessly to evolve a negotiated political settlement. His becoming a victim of LTTE terror, belied the LTTE's pretensions of peace.

Discussing the Government's current thinking in the aftermath of the clearing of the Eastern Province of LTTE presence, the Minister explained that this successful operation was a result of action taken by the security forces over the past year since the LTTE decided to cause disruption in the Eastern Province with the cutting off of water supply at Mavil Aru and also attacks on Trincomalee port.

Minister Bogollagama re-iterated that the government was fully committed to a negotiated political settlement and was working towards it through the All Party Representatives Committee (APRC) which is expected to announce its conclusions shortly. He said the Government would rather see the LTTE also become stake holders in this search for peace, but noted that so long as the LTTE continued to threaten civil life and attack strategic and economic targets in the South, the Government will not hesitate to seek to destroy its capacity to do so.