Bala
sidelined in power struggle?
By
Chris Kamalendran
LTTE leader
Velupillai Prabhakaran has sidelined his chief peace negotiator
Anton Balasingham - temporarily - and taken over the negotiating
process himself, The Sunday Times learns.
Norway
awaits response
Norwegian
Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen yesterday submitted
alternative proposals of the Sri Lankan government to the
LTTE to end a deadlock over the Tamil guerrillas attending
next month's donor conference and continuing with the peace
talks.
The proposals
were submitted by Mr. Helgesen during two hours of talks with
LTTE political wing leader, S.P.Thamilselvan at the political
office of the guerrillas in Kilinochchi.
The Norwegian
delegation wanted to remain in Kilinochchi for two days until
the LTTE submits its response, but was told by Mr. Thamilselvan
that the proposals need to be submitted to their leader Velupillai
Prabhakaran for study, before a response is given.
Accordingly, the Norwegian delegation including Oslo's Ambassador
Hans Brattskar, returned to Colombo last afternoon and is
due to re-visit Kilinochchi on Tuesday seeking the LTTE response.
Mr. Helgesen
was due to brief Constitutional Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris
who is also government's chief negotiator and Minister Milinda
Moragoda. |
In what appears
to be a hardening of the guerrilla organisation's stand on the ongoing
peace process, the sidelining of Mr. Balasingham and the emergence
of Mr. Prabhakaran and the political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan
into the forefront have caused further concerns about the future
of the peace process.
The Sunday
Times learns that Mr. Prabhakaran has given clear directives to
Mr. Thamilselvan to co-ordinate the peace process, including discussions
with foreign mediators through him.
Yesterday Mr.
Thamilselvan met Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen
in Kilinochchi as Oslo continued its efforts to convince the LTTE
to take part in both the upcoming Tokyo aid conference as well as
in the now stalled peace talks with the government.
Mr. Thamilselvan
had told Mr. Helgesen that he would need to refer the issues raised
with Mr. Prabhakaran. On Thursday, Mr. Thamilselvan contradicted
earlier comments made by Mr. Balasingham who had reportedly wanted
a postponement of the Tokyo meeting. "We do not want a postponement
as long as the funds due to the Tamil community do not reach us,"
he told journalists.
Mr. Balasingham's
sudden exit from Sri Lanka citing post-kidney transplant complications,
and the long silence from him since his departure last Monday have
been attributed to his being sidelined from the negotiations for
the moment.
When Japan's
special envoy Yasushi Akashi met Mr. Prabhakaran, Mr. Balasingham
was reduced to the role of a translator for the LTTE leader with
Mr. Akashi taking his own translator. At the near three-hour discussions,
Mr. Balasingham had hardly been allowed to elaborate on his leader's
hardline position.
Mr. Balasingham
left the country before Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen
arrived for talks with Mr. Prabhakaran. At those talks Mr. Thamilselvan
had been present with all the LTTE military-wing leaders Mr. Pathuman,
Mr. Karuna, LTTE legal advisor Mr. V Rudrakumaran and economic advisor
Dr. Jay Maheswaran.
Political analysts in Colombo, however, reacted cautiously to the
developments within the guerrilla organization.
They said the
apparent power-struggle between Mr. Balasingham and Mr. Thamilselvan,
which climaxed after the former denied some remarks made by the
latter in a press interview and followed it up by praising one of
the government's negotiators could still be a ploy by the LTTE to
play hard-to-get in their bargaining strategies.
Mr. Petersen
who failed to get an assurance from the LTTE about its participation
in the Tokyo conference left the country on Friday allowing Mr.
Helgesen to continue the discussions. Mr. Helgesen on Friday held
discussions at the Prime Minister's office regarding the concerns
raised by the LTTE.
He was due
to carry the government responses to the LTTE last morning. Initially
he was due to leave on Friday, but due to a delay in concluding
the discussions in Colombo, the visit to Kilinochchi was postponed
for yesterday.
The LTTE has
taken up the position that it wants a proper legal structure enabling
funds to flow in for rehabilitation and reconstruction work in the
north. The LTTE pointed out that the Sub Committee to provide for
the immediate humanitarian and rehabilitation needs (SIHRN) had
failed to serve its purposes while the North East Reconstruction
Fund has not been put into operation.
It claimed
that 70 million US dollars provided during the Oslo aid meeting
had not been put into use for rehabilitation and reconstruction
work in the north. On Tuesday, the LTTE discussed the issue with
the TNA parliamentarians who were summoned to the LTTE office in
Kilinochchi.
"We weakened
the government economically and brought to the negotiating table
and now we do not want to strengthen the government by getting aid
for them," Mr. Thamilselvan told the TNA members. The TNA is
to meet Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe within the next few
days to put forward the LTTE demands following their meeting with
the LTTE early this week.
TULF parliamentarian
Joseph Pararajasingham told The Sunday Times that an appointment
with the PM had been sought. "We will put forward the LTTE
demands which the government has to address. The LTTE raised concern
over the structural and administration of finance in SIHRN, High
security Zone. These will be discussed with the PM," he said
Meanwhile,
international pressure was building on the LTTE by Friday calling
them to take part in the Tokyo conference. Denmark and Japan made
a fresh appeal to the LTTE to take part in the conference.
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