A landmark power-sharing plan unveiled by Tamil Tiger rebels has left a margin for maneuvering and raised hopes of ending three decades of ethnic bloodshed in Sri Lanka, politicians and diplomats said yesterday.
The Tamil Tigers on Saturday announced their first ever blueprint for peace under which they seek a majority in a proposed Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) for the island's war-torn northeast.
With the release of an eight-page document outlining its vision of a political settlement, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said it was ending its eight-month boycott of Norwegian-brokered peace talks.
EU ambassadors to Colombo welcomed the LTTE announcement as an "important step forward in the peace process."
"The EU Heads of Mission emphasize the linkage between assistance by the international donor community and substantial parallel progress in the peace process," the ambassadors said in a statement.
Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga who is opposed to the cohabitation government's handling of the peace process did not react immediately, but officials said she was meeting with party stalwarts to discuss the proposals.
Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen will visit Nov. 10 to help arrange a face-to-face meeting between the Tigers and the government.
But Dharmalingam Sidhathan, a member of parliament from the Tamil minority, said the peace plan would not allow a dissenting voice in the northeast where the Tigers fought for decades to ensure their supremacy.
The guerrillas are proposing that they nominate a majority of members to the self-governing authority while the Sinhalese-dominated Colombo government and Muslims, the second largest minority in the Indian Ocean island nation, would have representation.
RSS