Without that LTTE, what negotiations now ?ДЄll these years, why past governments stayed within the process of negotiations in working out a solution were because, no government could avoid or eliminate the LTTE in Tamil politics. The military had removed the important armed contender who was a formidable and a necessary partner at the negotiating table. The non State actors have lost track of what they had learnt in conflict resolution. Wickramasinghe is caught in his own trap of scheming and manipulating within the party to remain its leader, instead of working to be a leader of the people, the party would not part with. There are different reasons to this вЂњpeace confusionвЂќ. It comes when all non State actors who were bidding for a negotiated solution to the ethnic conflict has also either gone the вЂњWickramasingheвЂќ way, or have opted to mark time, expecting the LTTE to turn up with something that could change the picture. It reminds finally, that in general, the Sinhala political parties are all chauvinists, playing for Sinhala votes to gain political power without a programme and leaves the society without any opposition to the politico military programme of the Rajapaksa regime. It reminds that within the Sinhala society, there would be no alternate platform to facilitate a discussion on the next phase of the military outcome. This is a reminder the UNP is no more the responsible Opposition it ought to be. This regime is based on the ideological power of establishing a вЂњUnitaryвЂќ Sinhala State that others are expected to tolerate, what ever else it may feel profitable to say. This political leadership at the helm of the Executive has also proved it would only project such solutions when opportune to its survival and withdraw same there after. President Rajapaksa has repeatedly told the international community and India, he would work out a consensus on the solution to the Tamil problem through his APRC, which the UNP opted to avoid. HeвЂ™s forgotten that President Rajapaksa keeps saying he would not stop with defeating Tiger terrorism militarily, what ever his brother Defence SecretaryвЂ™s and the Army CommanderвЂ™s plans are.

A genuine political solution to bring long lasting peace, is one such hurdle.вЂќ says this Opposition Leader. вЂњWe remind the government that there are formidable hurdles to be crossed. WickramasingheвЂ™s attempts at saving himself with a Sinhala face are also mediocre. He now confirms, what ever he had been saying all these years has to be trashed as those said by some one who had mixed up Mullaitivu and Mulleriyawa. Accused by the JHU, the JVP and Weerawansa of allowing the LTTE to control land, Wickramasinghe admitted by allusion, he gave the LTTE armed control of areas in the North when he says in his statement, вЂњKey towns that have been under the armed control of the LTTE have been re-taken after a lapse of many years.вЂќ He then hastens to add, вЂњThe sovereignty of our nation has been protected and the countryвЂ™s territorial integrity restored.вЂќ His statement in fact should have best suited the President to address the nation, after Mullaitivu fell. Wickramasinghe sealed the UNP position on the war, erasing all ambiguity there was in the past year. The UNP finally curled up meekly to make an official statement on 27th January which said, вЂњThe United National Party salutes the Sri Lankan armed forces for its military victories in the NorthвЂќ adding that the UNP acknowledges it was вЂњthe President, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers who were responsible for overseeing the conduct of these military operationsвЂќ.Although the then acting PM and FM of India, Pranab Mukherjee is not known to have met Wickramainghe during his hurried visit, the pre-written statement of the UNP was read out to the media by Ranil Wickramasinghe personally, few hours after Mukherjee met with President Rajapaksa in Colombo. What should eventually happen, did happen. My Daughter the Terrorist :Director Mrs.Diyasa: 2006 October: Mahawaliya(Sinhala).

University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna).Resolution of INSD Conference in Oslo (May).Peace in Sri Lanka: From Symbols to Substance.Sri Lanka: White lies and brute forceВ =NDTV=.

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