Here Oh Israel!

By Hiranthi Fernando

The positive response from Israel to provide military assistance to Sri Lanka to fight the LTTE terrorists came as a great relief.

Contact with the Israeli Government was established by Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar from New Delhi when India refused military assistance. The re-establishment of diplomatic ties between Sri Lanka and Israeli is now in progress.

"Letters have been exchanged between the two governments and diplomatic channels will soon be opened," said Deputy Foreign Minster Lakshman Kiriella.

He said steps were underway to open embassies soon..

Asked whether any country had objected to the government move, Mr. Kiriella said they encounterd no protests from any quarters. "People have realised that Sri Lanka has taken the decision in the interest of the country."

Today, the global situation has changed, he said referring to Palestine-Israeli relations.

Israel maintains diplomatic relations with more than 160 countries, including several Muslim states. Many countries began to recognise Israel in the wake of the 1993 Oslo peace process which brought the Israelis and Palestinians to the negotiating table.

Before 1993, especially during the cold war period and when the Non-aligned Movement was active, many countries regarded Israel as an international pariah, which was having colonial designs under the so-called zionism ideology.

Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Israel were severed in 1971 during the premiership of Sirimavo Bandaranaike who was an ardent suporter of the Palestinian cause. The J.R. Jayewardene Government allowed the setting up of an Israeli Interest Section in Colombo in 1984, while obtaining Israeli military help to fight the Tamil insurgents.

Ravi Jayewardene, the President's son who was overseeing an elite force then, visited Israel and met the then prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir. Israel was ready to provide Sri Lanka with whatever assistance required by way of training, intelligence, weapons, ships and so on. Some members of the Special Task force (STF) were given training in Israel. They also provided prostheses to amputee soldiers. A group of soldiers who lost limbs in the war were sent to Israel to be fitted with prostheses and helped to rehabilitate themselves.

The Premadasa government in 1989 closed the Interest Section and severed relations with Israel to please the Muslims.

As Mr. Kiriella commented, the re-establishing of diplomatic ties with Israel has not drawn much protest from the Sri Lankan Muslims.

The Sunday Times sought the views of Colombo-based diplomats on Sri Lanka re-establishing of relations with Israel.

While many diplomats said it was an internal matter for Sri Lanka, some said they had not received a statement from their governments on the issue.

The United States has fully backed the move. A US State Department communique said the US had been encouraging Sri Lanka to have diplomatic ties with Israel for a long time. "Whatever the current situation, we think it is a good step," the communique said.

(see also box statement).

Jordanian consul in Sri Lanka, Colonel A.M.M. Fareed, said his country was the second state in the Arab world to sign a peace treaty with Israel.

"We have full diplomatic relations with Israel. We have no objection to Sri Lanka re-establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. If we can allow them in Jordan, why should they not be in Sri Lanka," he asked.

Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel also has full diplomatic ties with Israel. However, the political officer at the Egyptian Embassy said he could not comment on the issue.

A Libyan embassy official said they had no comment to make at the moment. Libya is one of the Arab countries which has not recognized Israel.

Russia has full diplomatic relations with Israel. The Deputy Head of Mission of the Russian Embassy welcomed moves taken by Sri Lanka to combat terrorism. This includes moves to set up diplomatic relatons with Israel.

The envoy said the aggravating situation in the North of Sri Lanka had caused concern in Russia which itself is hit by a separatist war in Chechnya.

Sri Lanka's closest neighbour, India, which like Sri Lanka was once in the forefront of the campaign for the Palestinian cause, also maintains diplomatic relations with Israel. India and Israel have signed an agreement to set up a Joint Committee on Trade and Economic Cooperation. Israel is the seventh largest investor in India. The two countries also have defence cooperation. It is said Israel had provided India with large scale military assistance, particularly in the recent war in Kargil.

(Sanjeev) Arora, political attache of the Indian High Commission, said the issue concerning the re-establishing diplomatic ties with Israel was an internal matter for Sri Lanka and they had no comment on it.

Good or bad: views within

By Nilika de Silva

If Sri Lanka was to establish diplomatic relations with Peru or Guatamala, the news announcing the decision would have just appeared and forgotten — whether there is a war or not; whether military help is sought from these countries or not.

But restoring relations with Israel, the superpower in the West Asian region, is different. It became international news the moment the announcement was made. It created a stir with some welcoming it and others expressing reservations.

To feel the pulse of the nation on the issue of re-establishing diplomatic relations, The Sunday Times interviewed a cross-section of the public, politicians, diplomats, and political analysts.

Former Speaker and UNP stalwart M. H. Mohamed who once made a controversial visit to the Israeli occupied Jerusalem in the 1960s, said that as far as the Muslims were concerned there was absolutely nothing wrong in re-establishing diplomatic links with Israel. He asked if Yasser Arafat and his Palestinian Authority which is administering parts of West Bank and Gaza could have relations with Israel, why could not Sri Lanka.

However, Mr. Mohamed, had a word of caution for the Government.

"Only thing we must be a little careful because past records show Israel is not dependable," he said.

His caution apart, the optimism expressed by him formed the gist of what many others said.

The sentiments many expressed was that since Arab countries themselves had established ties with Israel, that for Sri Lanka to re-establish diplomatic relations was in no way a cause for concern.

The feeling that it was "high time" that such a move was made was also articulated by a majority of those spoken to. They said ties with Israel were severed "purely for internal parochial reasons."

"I think it's a good thing because there is no reason whatsoever that we should not resume full diplomatic ties with Israel," Stanley Kalpage, Sri Lanka's former UN ambassador said.

"India with 120 million Muslims has full diplomatic relations with Israel. I think the President took a correct decision," Dr. Kalpage said.

Some said strategically the move made by the Government was timely. There was also a hint of desperation in the words of some who felt the hour was critical, and the need was great.

"I think it is a good idea. We should get aid from whatever source we can," former foreign secretary Bernard Tilekaratne said.

Similar thoughts were echoed by others too.

"A progressive country, Israel has offered to help us. We should accept whatever help it can extend, Dr Kalpage said.

Times have changed. So has the international political environment. In 1984, when Sri Lanka restored partial links with Israel, many eyebrows were raised and the Arab coutries expressed serious concern. But today it is different.

"In the eighties, our foreign policy was sympathetic towards Arab countries. But now Israel is being courted by Egypt and Jordan which have established full diplomatic relations," Dr. Kalpage said.

Reservations have been expressed not only by Muslims. Socialist Parliamentarian Vasudeva Nanayakkara has also voiced concern over the government's move to re-establish diplomatic relations with Israel.

"I think it is an unwelcome and undesirable decision because Israel is just an extension of American military and foreign policy," he said.

Mr. Nanayakkara warned the move could cause some concern in India and China. "I understand that they have already brought it to the notice of our Government," he said.

"There is an international conflict between the Jews and the Arabs. By establishing relations with Israel, we are internalising international conflicts," Mr. Nanayakkara said.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Sri Lanka Muslim Congress General Secretary Rauf Hakeem.

He said Sri Lanka would have to pay a long term diplomatic price in the region because India, Pakistan and China were concerned. "Israel of course will act as a cats paw for the others."

"In the past also we have had Israelis coming here on this pretext, but the problem got more complicated. I am convinced that it is the only way in which they can creep in, at a time of least resistance."

Mr. Hakeem warned that the arrival of Israelis could aggravate the situation. He said the situation in the mid 1980s turned for worse after the Israel military help and advice were sought by the Sri Lankan government.

However many political analysts did not subscribe to this theory, nor the suspicions and doubts that followed in its wake.

Vernon Mendis, Director of the Bandaranaike Center for Diplomatic Studies, said: "I think in policy it is a desirable step because Sri Lanka's international outlook has been very impartial." "Israel's attitude towards Sri Lanka has always been friendly and helpful and hence they have been a friend for Sri Lanka," Dr. Mendis said.

PARLIAMENT

War of words over battles fought and lost

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti, Our Lobby Correspondent

People get the government they deserve, according to an old adage . But it says nothing about getting the Opposition they deserve- all in all, the underlying truism being that people don't get what they deserve.

In the present political landscape, nothing could be more true. For it is not the government's stark inefficiency that stands out but the ineffectuality of the government in waiting.

While people may feel grateful to an Opposition which keeps its own counsel and doesn't take to the street at the drop of a hat, we could certainly do with a zestful Opposition which courageously defends the people.

At a time when security concerns are very real with the fall of Elephant Pass and the country being put on a war footing, it was pathetic to see a speechless UNP (barring the occasional jibe) while deputy defence minister Anuruddha Ratwatte escaped with his customary rhetoric.

Soon after Elephant Pass, the emergency debate was expected to generate heat, but as we know by now, it did not do so. The excitement came however in the form of Dr. Rajitha Senaratne's re appointment.

Dr. Senaratne was sworn anew along with EPDP"s M. Gunasekeram.

If Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe's guileless pleasure and Anura Bandaranaike's hand clasp were anything to go by, Rajitha was a politician certainly missed by the UNP.

Minister Ratwatte from the outset was prepared to beat the war drums.

" Twenty one officers and 337 soldiers died while 128 officers and 2,240 soldiers sustained injuries with 349 reported missing," he declared. In faltering Sinhala, minister Ratwatte put the cart before the horse by assuring that the imposition of emergency regulations was not to curb public freedom or postpone polls!

"Spur on the troops. We shall fight tooth and nail till we all fall, if necessary. All of us cannot be in the battlefront, but we must all play our part.. So each MP could perhaps organise 100 youths to join the forces" he said.

"What of the LTTE's offer for a cease-fire? Your rhetoric won't save the youth" remarked angry Opposition members. With great flourish, minister Ratwatte thundered that Jaffna would never be handed over to the LTTE and Elephant Pass would be recaptured.

But Gamini Atukorale, the fiery UNP General Secretary stepped up his artillery fire taking aim at the deputy defence minister and the Government.

"There was a time when the lion flag was hoisted over the barren land of Jaffna with much ceremony. A 'sannasa' in a silver casket was presented with great fanfare. From that pageantry, where have we come," he scoffed.

Mr. Atukorale obviously enjoying himself reminded the House of SLFP days where UNP attempts to resolve the conflict were undermined.

"Their standard response was to sit under trees and cry foul. Whipping up communal feelings, sowing seeds of dissension and encouraging destruction of public property came naturally to them," he lashed out.

Harping on the SLFP's history, he recalled Felix Dias' days of extreme taxation and rule by the iron hand. "That was the ruthless regime of take-overs, prohibitions, seizures and -hal pollas' in general. The stage seems to set for a repeat performance.

" That was done because of the necessity of the day," came the prompt reply from minister D.M. Jayaratne who was promptly shouted down. "You provide fodder to rumour mongers by obstructing the free flow of information. Why cannot corruption be curbed and those responsible for debacles be punished? It was this government with its lack of prudence which converted a third rate guerrilla outfit into a sophisticated military movement" Mr. Atukorale charged.

Of course health minister Nimal Siripala de Silva was not in a reconciliatory mood. Conceding that a withdrawal was demoralising, he charged that the LTTE was receiving international support and that it was difficult to counter it.

Yet the UNP's Sinhala scholar W.J.M. Lokubandara remained unconvinced, and demanded his pound of flesh, insisting that the President should immediately step down.

In a spell binding delivery spiced with tarty comments about personalities and performances of some, he wished to know whether the health minister would be able to successfully treat a patient merely because he held the particular portfolio. It was the same with a politician in military garb.

"This is the curse of the war, the reason for all the mismanagement. While a minister was enjoying himself in the cooler climes, our rank and file were dying of thirst," he sniped.

Prodding memory, Lokubandara noted with concern some of the earlier comments made by the high command that whoever controlled Elephant Pass also controlled Jaffna.

"A stone inscription from the Nissankamalla Period claims those who plunder national wealth are reborn either as dogs or crows. That is the fate that await some of you. All those third rate aircraft and vessels purchased for the forces only contributed to the senseless loss of life. Yet, palaces are being constructed and bullet proof vehicles are being imported," he charged.

Following him was Industrial and Development minister C.V. Gooneratne who has regularly advocated a war footing. " I dislike recriminations. If I do, I could speak of Aranthalawa, Kent Farm and 600 soldiers who were driven to the valley of death. Yet it brings no solace. Instead we must make our own sacrifices," he opined.

The minister was angry that the UNP felt the regulations were unjust.

"When the SLFP headquarters was teargassed by the then administration, an angry Anura Bandaranaike thundered that someday when the SLFP comes into power, he would like to give small doses of this treatment to UNP leaders. We are people who have suffered but don't wish to treat you'll in the same manner.

It is customary for the House to indulge in post-mortems and trade barbs. Perhaps UNP's Lakshman Seneviratne was smarting from political wounds sustained in provincial elections in Mahiyangana as he declared there was no reason for the UNP to join forces with the government.

"All this time you were waging a war on the UNP and not on the LTTE. Suddenly, you have realised it was not the UNP that was acting like scavengers or predators.But we have no faith in the PA anymore.

In his estimation, it was the government that ridiculed the war effort. "Thawalama', 'Pothai-Gadolai' and 'Sudu Nelum' were all anti- war programmes. Having destroyed the morale of the troops, you want to change your stance and reached out to us," he charged.

Firing examples, he thundered that Cecil Waidyaratne stepped down following the Pooneryn debacle. But now where are the examples? Where are the war heroes who ceremoniously hoist flags on barren land and go into hiding when defeated?, he asked.

But Vasudeva Nanayakkara adduced different motives to the troops' sagging morale. Dubbing this 'an unwinnable war', he said the cost was too high, with too many lives being lost.

It was Dr. Sarath Amunugama, who came up with some unpalatable truths about the UNP's past.

He said the UNP which en masse appealed to President Jayewardene to give the police powers had no right to criticise the new regulations. These are members who enjoyed powers of a Superintendent of Police including the right to kill, the minister revealed, flashing a piece of paper which he claimed to contain late Jayewardene's note signifying approval to such a suggestion.

Expletives were liberally used with the Chair appealing to both sides to calm down and refrain from trading insults. Yet this being the general style of our Legislature, the shouting continued until UNP's Mano Wijeratne managed to make himself heard. Mr. Wijeratne claimed that the decision was taken at a crucial time when members from both sides were threatened and the government had provided security even to the Opposition. "But in fairness to all those members and the late President, there was no 'right to kill business'" he explained.

Next it was Mangala Samaraweera 's turn who while thanking the media for a responsible job done under blanket censorship, warned that those who flout the regulations would not be spared.

"Where is our civic sense? How could the laws of the land put into force under extreme conditions be violated at will? Don't forget that it was Prabhakaran himself who declared 1997 as the bloodiest year for the LTTE and condemned the President for her' ruthless offensive.' Don't fuel the flames but assist the government by helping to maintain the morale up."

Strip and sell or rob and sell

Pix and text by M.A.Pushpakumara

The motor cycle spare part sellers along Jayantha Weerasekara Mawatha in Maradana have been in the centre of a controversy and face regular police raids, but are a much needed group.

The spare part sales shops are important to motor cyclists who are on the lookout for spares at cheap rates and for those looking out for spares for old models.

The much needed spare part shops are regularly checked by the Police as they are suspected of buying stolen cycles, dismantling them and selling them for parts. But the claim is denied by the men who operate here.

"We purchase old motorcycles or those that have met with accidents and take the important parts and sell them," one of the men in the business said.

The men working in these shops have the skill of dismantling motor cycles within minutes.

But Police say there are several instances where they have found parts of stolen motor cycles in these shops.

These men face another problem as the local authorities have requested payment of Rs. 25,000 from each of the shops to provide electricity. They also lack toilet facilities, they complain.

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