20 August 2004
United States Urges Resumption of Peace Process in Sri Lanka
U.S. officials say government, Tamil Tigers must work to rebuild trust
In the face of continuing unrest in the South Asian nation of Sri Lanka, U.S. officials are calling on the Sri Lankan government and opposition Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to turn away from violence and return to peace negotiations as laid out in a cease-fire agreement reached in 2002.
In an August 19 press statement, a State Department official said, "We urge the parties to take steps to work to rebuild trust and schedule the promised talks as soon as possible." The statement went on to say, "the cease-fire and a return to negotiations represent the best hope for Sri Lanka's future as a peaceful, prosperous, and unified nation."
For more than two decades, the LTTE has waged an armed struggle aimed at establishing an independent state for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority. According to information from the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), that conflict has cost more than 60,000 lives.
The CFR estimates that ethnic Tamils make up about 18 percent of the island nation's 19 million citizens. Many Tamils also live in nearby southern India. The group has its own language and is largely Hindu, unlike Sri Lanka's majority Sinhalese population, which is primarily Buddhist.
The LTTE, which has been designated by the State Department as a foreign terrorist organization, has used assassinations, suicide bombings and, more recently, child soldiers in its campaign. In its statement, the State Department denounced all of these violent strategies and called on the rebels to enter the political mainstream.
Following a Norwegian-brokered cease-fire in February 2002 and the Sri Lankan government's lifting of its ban on the LTTE in September 2002, the government and the LTTE entered into a peace process based on the principle of limited Tamil self-rule in parts of the country. Those negotiations broke down in April 2003.
In exchange for a return to the peace process, the State Department has pledged U.S. support for achieving stability. "The United States stands ready to implement commitments to aid in Sri Lanka's reconstruction, but this will only be possible through a continuation of the peace process," the statement said.
Following is the text of the State Department statement:
(begin text)
U.S. Department of State
Press Statement
Adam Ereli, Deputy Spokesman
Washington, DC
August 19, 2004
Violence and the Peace Process in Sri Lanka
Deputy Secretary Armitage has reviewed the situation in Sri Lanka with U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jeffrey Lunstead, including the recurring acts of violence such as assassinations and suicide bombings. In light of this discussion, we urge the parties to take steps to work to rebuild trust and schedule the promised talks as soon as possible. President Kumaratunga has shown her desire to move forward on the peace process launched with the 2002 cease-fire. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam needs to respond positively and enter talks with the Sri Lankan Government. The cease-fire and a return to negotiations represent the best hope for Sri Lanka's future as a peaceful, prosperous, and unified nation. The United States stands ready to implement commitments to aid in Sri Lanka's reconstruction, but this will only be possible through a continuation of the peace process.
Real progress towards peace and an end to violence in word and deed can begin the process of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's entering the political mainstream, and result in assistance for areas in the north and east most affected by conflict. Assassinations and suicide bombings are unacceptable. The recruitment of child soldiers must cease.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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