OP-ED: Peace for Sri Lanka?

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The logical solution to Sri Lanka's conflict is a negotiated settlement, and the political will to achieve it has never been stronger. President Mahinda Rajapaksa expressed that commitment at his inauguration in November 2005, and reiterated his position in the United Kingdom this month. "Ultimately, any solution will have to be political. But there can be a political solution only after the LTTE has laid down arms," the army commander said in January. However, paradoxically, some friends of Sri Lanka feel the need to remind us every now and then that there is no military solution to the conflict.

On the other hand, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's (LTTE's) unwavering strategy is to establish nothing but a mono-ethnic, separate state. If that was not the case, the Tigers would have taken administrative control of the north and east in 1987, facilitated by the Indo-Lanka Accord. Or they would have strived for a federal arrangement as agreed in Oslo in December 2002 rather than unilaterally walking away from negotiations in April 2003, as they have several times before. Sadly,the LTTE's slogan, "The thirst of the Tigers is the Homeland of Tamil Eelam," remains unchanged. Naturally, Sri Lanka has to thwart that stratagem by weakening the LTTE's military muscleHence the military push against the Tigers.

Nevertheless, with a president who refuses to be intimidated by the Tigers, Sri Lanka has seen the welcome liberation of the east, where, less than a year ago, marauding Tigers roamed, mauling innocent civilians at will. With the Sri Lanka Supreme Court's groundbreaking judgment in October 2006 to delink east from north, a separate state encompassing north and east is now only a pipe dream for the Tigers.

The government has agreed to implement in full the 13th Amendment to the Constitution as a precursor to other power-sharing proposals. India, the United States and other countries have welcomed that decision. Following the success of Provincial Council elections in the Eastern Province in May (where people were free to vote after 20 years under LTTE control) and the appointment of S. Chandrakanthan, Tamil leader of a breakaway LTTE group, as chief minister there - the LTTE's claim of being the sole representative of Tamils is irretrievably shattered. This development is tangible proof that democracy is a viable alternative to Tiger hegemony.

Sri Lanka is one of South Asia's oldest democracies, but the LTTE loathes democracy. It intends, through terrorism, to establish a monoethnic, monopolitical state in the north and east, encompassing approximately 30 percent of the country's landmass, ostensibly for Sri Lankan Tamils. Tamils comprise 12 percent of the population, with the majority of them living outside the two provinces!

More than benevolent advice, Sri Lanka needs international support for combating terrorism and seeking a lasting solution. That includes persuading the LTTE to return to negotiations unarmed - parallel to Maoist rebels in Nepal - and to hang in there until a consensus is reached. It also includes curbing activities of LTTE front organizations on their soil, particularly their fundraising capacity. The support of the United States and Canada in outlawing the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization and the World Tamil Movement is deeply valued. The demand that paramilitary groups be disarmed is illogical, if the LTTE, the most menacing of armed groups, is excluded. Moreover, to wean the youth away from hopelessness and violence, the economic desolation of the east needs to be countered by developing infrastructure and encouraging investment. That transformation will send an unmistakable message to the Tamils still languishing in the Tigers' lair in the north. Only such action will drive home the message that seizing power through terrorism, as Tigers currently seek to do, is unacceptable to the civilized world.

Furthermore, the international community needs to recognize that democracies cannot take extraconstitutional measures, and that political solutions to conflicts require discussion, debate and compromise before consensus is reached.

Sri Lanka is a multiethnic, multireligious society, and all Sri Lankans without exception have coexisted peacefully for over 2,000 years, except for brief periods of conflict. Consequently, all Sri Lankans yearn to live in peace and security and to freely pursue their individual economic, social and cultural goals.

This long and arduous journey for Sri Lanka is not yet ended, but the light is clearly visible at the end of the tunnel. The country has vast potential, as demonstrated by steady economic growth each year despite the destructive conflict. A negotiated settlement will surely unleash the full potential of the country and its people, and provide space for all to live - in peace, harmony and prosperity. And all Sri Lankans hope that that day will dawn sooner, rather than later.

Bernard Goonetilleke is the Sri Lankan ambassador to the United States.