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LTTE declares month-long ceasefire

Ravi R Prasad in Colombo

The separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on Wednesday declared a unilateral, month-long ceasefire beginning December 24 'as a goodwill gesture during the festive season' and to facilitate any possible negotiations with the government.

A statement issued by the LTTE said, "Velupillai Pirabhakaran, the leader and military commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has issued orders to all units and combat formations of the LTTE to cease all hostile military actions against the Sri Lankan armed forces from midnight of December 24, 2001 until midnight of January 24, 2002."

The LTTE has urged the government to reciprocate the goodwill gesture and take immediate steps to remove economic embargo imposed on the rebel-held territory in the north and east of the country.

"Encouraged by the collective mandate for peace and ethnic harmony given by the Sinhala and Tamil masses at the general elections, the LTTE leadership has decided to declare unilaterally a month long cessation of armed hostilities," the statement added.

"We hope that the new government of Sri Lanka will reciprocate positively to our goodwill gesture," it said.

The LTTE said that the ceasefire was genuine gesture on its part to demonstrate a sincere desire for peace and negotiated political settlement.

So far, the government has not responded to the rebels' announcement, but Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has already set up three ministerial committees to deal with the peace process.

The LTTE said it is hopeful that the 'new government will utilise this chance of peace', and also lift the 'economic embargo and other restrictions and prohibitions imposed on our people'.

Tamil political parties have welcomed LTTE's unilateral cease-fire and urged the government to reciprocate it positively.

"This a chance before the new government to prove that it is sincere about its commitment to peace," said Dharmalingam Siddharthan, a Member of Parliament from the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam.

Sri Lanka's foreign minister Tyronne Fernando was quoted by a private FM channel as saying that the government would respond to the LTTE offer in two or three days.

The new interior minister John Amartunga descirbed the LTTE's cease-fire as a 'good start'.

He said that this would go a long way in creating a cordial atmosphere for talks.

The United National Party came to power promising revival of peace talks with the LTTE.

However, President Chandrika Kumaratunga had alleged during the election campaign that the UNP had entered into a secret understanding with the guerrillas and that the UNP would divide the country if it came to power.

But the UNP, which won 109 seats, managed to form the government with the support of the 5-member Sri Lanka Muslim Congress. The Tamil National Alliance, a coalition of five Tamil political parties that bagged 15 seats, has also pledged its support to the government on the condition that it revives the peace process.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe is leaving for India on December 22 to meet the Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other senior ministers.

He is expected to seek India's assistance in reviving the peace process.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga's People's Alliance, which lost power, has also promised to support the peace moves. Senior ministers have indicated that the government might press ahead with the Norwegian brokered peace moves to bring the Tamil Tigers to the negotiating table.

A spokesman for the PA and former media minister, Mangala Samaraweera said that the party would play the role of a constructive opposition and support the government in all the right moves.

The guerrillas have offered to extend the cease-fire provided the government meets their demand of lifting the embargo on the north and east of the country and declares a reciprocal cease-fire.

The LTTE had announced a similar cease-fire during the festive season last year and extended it until April. But, President Kumaratunga had refused to reciprocate the gesture. Instead, she announced that the government would declare ceasefire if the guerrillas engaged in talks and there was some positive movement.

The government troops had attacked the rebel positions hours after the LTTE ended the ceasefire on April 25. Some 1,200 government soldiers were killed in what the opposition had described as an adventure by the armed forces.

The Tamil Tiger guerrillas have been fighting for a separate homeland for the minority Tamil community carved out of the north and east of Sri Lanka.

More than 70,000 people have died in the ethnic conflict over the past 18 years.

Earlier Report:
LTTE declares month-long ceasefire

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