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Donors warn against military solution to Lanka conflict
Tuesday, 30 January 2007 - 3:08 PM SL Time |  | |
Galle, Jan. 29 (PTI): Foreign aid donors today warned Sri Lanka against a military solution to the island`s drawn out ethnic conflict and said the government must enter into a power-sharing deal with Tamil Tigers.
The United States, Japan and the World Bank came out strongly against any military action to resolve the conflict which has already claimed over 60,000 lives. `We remain unwavering in our conviction that there can be no military solution to this terrible conflict,` US Ambassador Robert Blake said at the opening of a two-day meeting here to review foreign aid to the island.
`We hope Sri Lanka will seize the opportunity to forge a power-sharing proposal that can form the basis for talks with the LTTE that could finally bring an end to conflict in Sri Lanka,` he said in the presence of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The World Bank`s South Asia vice president Praful Patel said the country`s future depended on ending the Tamil separatist conflict peacefully. `There is no way to politely skirt this issue,` Patel said.
`As a major development partner to Sri Lanka, the World Bank would be failing if we did not place the conflict front and center in our deliberations for it is this that constrains the country`s development and stands in the way of its tremendous potential.`
He warned that this year will be a difficult one for Sri Lanka unless the government addressed the issue of runaway inflation currently at over 19 per cent. `If inflation continues at the current levels of nearly 20 per cent, 2007 will not be a good year for the economy,` Patel warned.
`The challenges are enormous.I have placed the conflict at the center of any discussion about Sri Lanka`s future. This is not of course a comfortable discussion but development assistance could be far more effective if the conflict subsided,` Patel said.
Japanese ambassador Kiyoshi Araki warned that Sri Lanka`s `future was at stake.` He said the conflict must be resolved through dialogue and not violence. Japan is Sri Lanka`s largest single aid donor.
President Rajapaksa asked the international community to fund rehabilitation work in areas where the military had captured from Tamil Tigers. The president also vowed to build on military gains and subdue the guerrillas.
The US ambassador was also critical of the Sri Lankan authorities for blocking access to international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in areas where troops had stepped up attacks against the Tigers. `The USAID staff and NGO partners are sometimes denied access to deliver assistance to people in need,` Blake said. `Many NGOs have been the target of unsubstantiated allegations in the Sri Lankan press that have caused the staff of these NGOs to be subject to physical harassment and intimidation.`
Sri Lanka`s military has accused several foreign organisations of supporting the Tigers, a charge repeatedly denied by them.
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Source(s)
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200701291401.htm |
tigeress19
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30 Jan 2007 10:09:24 GMT Report for Abuse
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Mere statements will do nothing to bring the govt to the line!
only way to go forward is to suspend the aid to srilanka and UN recommended 'road map for peace' if to archive united lanka.
there is two problems i see if the international community to take this matter in their hands.
1) ltte
i)will the ltte agree to dis arm.
ii) will the ltte give it's consent to form a united lanka in words and in deeds.
2)the foreign policies of the USA, china , Pakistan and India.
(if India takes the role to play more actively the USA , china and Pakistan will take the opposite side if not srilanka will plea with them for money material and aids.)
having said that, all these countries agree with the Oslo or Tokyo declaration which lead to the ban of ltte (so the ltte cannot declare UDI however these countries sighted different reasons to ban the ltte)
as things developed,,,,,
now we have a majority govt in srilanka with executive power president, the time is ripe to push to break the dead lock.
if it is not now i see it is not going to be for and other 50 years.
the international community should act now! |
KURAL
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4 Feb 2007 22:16:48 GMT Report for Abuse
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| It's a good move from IC, but now the Motta Rala have to act humanly. |
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