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Peace-driven propaganda blitz in the state media
The agreement between the Government and the LTTE for the need to set up a joint mechanism for tsunami aid distribution and portray it as a victory for the Government in the light of the LTTE's previous hardline stance is among several areas that state media institutions have been asked to highlight under a set of guidelines issued by the Information and Media Ministry recently.

The Sunday Times learns that the state media have been asked to emphasise the LTTE compromise saying that the LTTE, which once fought for a separate state and an Interim Self Governing Authority, has agreed to a joint mechanism and this is a victory for the government.

The ministry has instructed the state media institutions to follow the guidelines immediately after the National New year as part of the Government's bid to educate people on the peace efforts undertaken by President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

The state media institutions have been asked to highlight the steps the President has taken to take the peace process forward, the difficulties she faced and the future challenges facing her Government.

A covering letter attached to the guidelines says it is necessary to make people realise there is no alternative but to find a peaceful political settlement to the North-East crisis.

The guidelines have largely been directed at the electronic media programmes and the matters to be highlighted include details of how the President throughout her life stood for a political solution and how she was committed to a peace solution since the mid 80s along with her late husband Vijay Kumaratunga and her overtures to the LTTE as well as to other opposition political parties to bring them into the process.

The UNP reaction to the 1997 Draft Constitution Bill as well as holding the last presidential poll in 1999 for a mandate 18 months before due time, are also to be highlighted.

The President's role in inviting Norway to act as facilitators to the peace process and her stance in pointing out flaws in the peace efforts vis a vis the security and integrity of the state when the UNF resumed talks after the 2001 December elections are other areas, to which the state media attention has been drawn.

The state media will also highlight circumstances that led to the agreement with the JVP and the formation of the UPFA. Steps that have been taken to revive the broken down peace talks with the LTTE, discussions based on the Oslo declaration as well as the Post-tsunami strategy will also receive much media coverage.

The state-run Rupavahini and ITN have been especially instructed to make use of prime time programmes to give publicity to these issues. Newspapers in all three languages published by the Lake House group can be made use of for this purpose in a suitable manner and supplements in Dinamina and Silumina can be of help while Subharathi and Kelimadala over the radio and the morning programmes of Lakhanda can be of use too, the guidelines say.

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