Fresh Ceasefire Proposal Not Viable Without Political Framework

The Statement released by the National Peace Council is follows;

(November 14, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) There is increasing agitation in India, particularly in Tamil Nadu, for a ceasefire to be immediately declared in Sri Lanka due to the plight of the civilian population in the north. The LTTE has said that it is prepared for a ceasefire and never wanted the war to resume. In response, the government has stated that it would only agree to a ceasefire if the LTTE disarms. Previous ceasefires have not only failed, but have led to even more severe fighting, and have been used to re-arm and reposition combatants.

The National Peace Council supports a ceasefire that is genuine, permanent and leads to a political solution to the ethnic conflict. Any agreements reached must be transparent and address the concerns of the people who have been most affected by the conflict. It is the people who have paid the highest price of war. In these circumstances, calls for ceasefires without a corresponding commitment to a political solution can be construed as political propaganda. From this perspective no ceasefire will be effective if it is not accompanied by a political framework, including demilitarization and international monitoring. While supporting the present call for a ceasefire, we do not wish to see history repeat itself, dashing the people's hopes for peace yet again

We need to learn from past failures. Previous ceasefires were not accompanied by any agreement between the two sides regarding a framework for a political solution, and appeared open ended with a focus on improving the ground situation. This left room for suspicion that the period of ceasefire was being used to gain strength militarily on the ground. The National Peace Council calls on the two parties to publicly announce the parameters within which a political solution will be sought when they make their ceasefire offers. The ceasefire will only be successful if it is accompanied by a dialogue geared towards finding a sustainable political settlement.

Governing Council: The National Peace Council is an independent and non partisan organisation that works towards a negotiated political solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. It has a vision of a peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka in which the freedom, human rights and democratic rights of all the communities are respected. The policy of the National Peace Council is determined by its Governing Council of 20 members who are drawn from diverse walks of life and belong to all the main ethnic and religious communities in the country. - Sri Lanka Guardian