The way forward at peace talks

The so-called talks have been taking place between the Govt. of Sri Lanka and the LTTE with no result, no forthcoming result and no prospects whatsoever. At least if there is a procedure in place, the people and the world at large will know of its progress and whether there is any light at the end of the tunnel.

The handshake before talks in Geneva

First and foremost, the politburo of the LTTE should forward its demands clearly in writing. The peace council of the Government of Sri Lanka should study these demands thoroughly and prepare an answer point by point. There will be several points which would require discussion and compromise. It is not so easy to simplify and isolate the issues but efforts should be made to study them thoroughly weigh the pros and cons and try to satisfy the people in general and the communities involved in particular.

Accordingly an agenda must be prepared before the talks are held and agreed upon. The talks should be held on the pre-condition that all items on the agenda should be discussed. For instance, if one party disagrees on Item 1 of the Agenda they should agree to disagree, and get on to the next item and so forth.

The entire talks should be transparent and the international community informed verbatim of what’s taking place. It is only then that the International Court of Justice will be able to decide which party is:

• Eager for a peaceful settlement
• Which party is participating merely for the sake of doing so
• Which party is willing to give and take and compromise on delicate issues
• Which party is stubborn and hell bent on achieving sinister ulterior motives
• Which party is merely displaying courage on its prejudices and finally,
• Which party is engineering the violation of human rights.

It is only then that the entire world will know whether there is any purpose in holding these talks or whether it is a senseless waste of time and know-how to deal with the situation.

It is not fair for the world powers-that-be to give orders and instructions to a legitimately elected Government without knowing the facts.

Sri Lanka is a small country but that does not mean it can be bullied. Whether the talks are held in Thimpu, Borneo, Geneva or even Timbuktu, for that matter, their preparation and staging cost a considerable amount of time and money and this cannot be wasted. The participants should know that by merely uttering one statement or not uttering the same and cancelling or even postponing these talks is an utter disappointment to the millions of people anticipating a peaceful solution.

At this moment the words of one verse in the prologue recited by me, composed by the great late Kenneth M. de Lanerolle, Principal of Kingswood, keep ringing in my ear:

“What’s cooking in the kitchens of the great?
The common man is looking at his plate
‘Waging war’ isn’t quite,
The kind of thing of which he wants a bite.
A simple healthy diet is what he needs,
With the milk of human kindness
And the seeds of freedom plainly dressed
A peace loving menu card is best.

By Kan Butani, Colombo 4