Liberal Democrats fully support UK ban on LTTE

From Neville de Silva in London

Belying attempts by some Liberal Democrats to question the validity of the British Government’s ban on the LTTE, the party has officially said that it fully supports the ban imposed six years ago.

The Liberal Democrats shadow foreign secretary Michael Moore is understood to have informed Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner that the party fully endorses the ban because of the LTTE’s continued activities including violence.

The official position as clearly stated by the shadow foreign secretary is an implied criticism of the Liberal Democrat chairman Simon Hughes who during a adjournment debate in the House of Commons on Sri Lanka questioned the reasonableness of the British Government’s ban and stated views which were supportive of the LTTE.

During the debate which had been called for by the then newly former All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils, another Liberal Democrat MP, Ed Davey even called for the lifting of the ban on the Tigers.

Following the debate last May, Sri Lanka High Commissioner Kshenuka Senewiratne is said to have expressed Sri Lanka’s concerns over the utterances particularly of Liberal Democrat chairman Simon Hughes whose personal conduct lost him the leadership of the party last year.

Mr. Moore is said to have distanced himself and the party from the remarks of Mr. Hughes which, he is believed to have said, do not properly reflect his views as foreign affairs spokesman.The Liberal Democrats believe the solution to the conflict was a political settlement in which the Tamils are granted a reasonable degree of autonomy within a secure, peaceful and stable Sri Lanka. This is a rejection of the goal of a separate state.

The shadow foreign secretary is also said to have stated that his party does not believe the LTTE represent all Tamils, a position that is expected to deflate the expectations of several Liberal Democrat and Labour Tamil borough councillors who have been trying to convince the non-LTTE Tamil community that they have the support of the Liberals.

Meanwhile, Mark Malloch-Brown, the new Minister of State for Africa and Asia in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has told his ministerial colleague the Rt. Hon Stephen Timms that though several sources are responsible for the violence in Sri Lanka, the LTTE’s responsibility for violence against all communities over several years is well documented. Mr. Malloch-Brown was replying to concerns raised by Stephen Timms on behalf of Sri Lankan constituents especially from the organisation Campaign for Peace and Unity in Sri Lanka (CPUSL). He has reportedly said the Government agrees with several of the points raised with Mr Timms by the CPUSL relating to the LTTE.