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Bauer: LTTE must renounce violence, Govt. must stop retaliatory attacks
By Shimali Senanayake
Norway’s peace envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer has said the LTTE must renounce violence and the tit-for-tat attacks must end for the creation of an atmosphere conducive to peace.

"We are very worried about the escalating violence and the volatile situation where communal tension can go out of hand. The LTTE must renounce violence. I hope the military will stop the retaliatory strikes. If this happens, then, maybe, a more productive period will dawn," Mr. Bauer told The Sunday Times, hours after the military announced it had ceased air-strikes on Tiger positions in Sampur.

The envoy said he was optimistic about prospects for peace because "both parties claim they are committed to the ceasefire and are coherent in their message."

"I wouldn't have stayed here if I didn't think the parties will go to Geneva. But it's very complicated to do it amidst a cycle of violence," Mr. Bauer said adding that there was so much Norway could do.

Mr. Bauer arrived here on April 3 to persuade the LTTE to attend the Geneva talks and defuse the tension between the two sides. But his efforts failed with the LTTE announcing that it was pulling out of the talks because the government had not acceded to its request for transport for its eastern cadres to attend a central committee meeting in Kilinochchci.

Mr. Bauer was to leave the island on Tuesday, but pushed back his departure after the suicide bomb attack on Army Commander Sarath Fonseka. The peace envoy said the facilitator was not in a position to make the parties stop the violence but he could only help when the parties wanted to move forward.
"The parties must take responsibility for the conflict and the solution."

Asked whether the Tigers would go to Geneva if the hurdle over transport was resolved, Mr. Bauer said he believed they would but he could not guarantee it.
Since the clash over transport, the Tigers had subsequently added that "normality," also had to be restored to the Tamil-majority north and east if they were to participate at Geneva II.

Mr. Bauer urged the parties to think of what goodwill measures they could engage in and send clear signals on their commitment to peace. "Both parties need to do whatever in their power to contain the escalating violence and curb it from deteriorating into communal clashes," he said, "We don't need more polarization and hatred."

Mr. Bauer left the island on Thursday to attend an emergency meeting of the co-chairs to Sri Lanka's peace process on Friday.

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