Peace prospects seem to brighten for Sri Lanka

Peace prospects seem to brighten for Sri Lanka

By Minoli de Soysa

COLOMBO (Reuter): Sri Lanka's new People's Alliance government
and Tamil rebels fighting for a separate state are making
tentative moves towards peace, but political analysts said on
Sunday an early settlement was unlikely.

Rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran last Friday released 10
policemen from custody and said he was ready for dialogue.

"We wish to reiterate that we are prepared for cease-fire and
unconditional peace talks," he said in a statement from his
stronghold in the rebel-held Jaffna peninsula.

He was responding to Prime Minister Chandrika Bandaranaike
Kumaratunga's partial lifting of an embargo on goods to the north
recently.

Kumaratunga allowed 28 of a list of 76 banned items to be
freely traded in the north. Most of the remaining banned goods
are suspected of being used in the manufacture of bombs.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been fighting
a fierce 11-year war for a separate state in the country's north
and east for the 2.5 million strong minority Tamil community.

More than 30,000 people have been killed with millions of
dollars -- about $400 million this year -- spent annually on the
war since 1983.

The released policemen said their captors had promised to
release 39 soldiers and policemen held hostage for up to four
years if the full embargo is lifted.

Political analysts said peace talks were unlikely to take
place before the presidential election in November.

"Early peace talks are unlikely, although goodwill measures
from both sides will continue," said analyst Jayadeva Uyangoda,
senior lecturer in political science at the University of
Colombo.

Government spokesmen were not available for comment on the
rebel response.

"Kumaratunga made the first move and asked for reciprocity.
The rebels responded and the government must move forward. How
and what they would do is anybody's guess," one analyst said.

He said the most likely scenario would be further concessions
from the government followed by the rebels releasing more
hostages.

That would probably follow with emissaries from both sides
visiting Colombo and Jaffna to lay the groundwork for talks.

Deputy Defense Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte, visiting frontline
troops on Saturday, warned that if peace talks failed the
government would not hesitate to use the military option.

Analysts said Kumaratunga is aware of reservations in the
military over the handling of previous peace talks.

In an effort to address these concerns she told senior army
officials last week there would be no secret negotiations with
the rebels as in the past, and the military would be consulted on
every step taken to resolve the conflict.

Ratwatte said the government would not give up territory to
the rebels or close down military camps during talks, as in the
past.

"We will negotiate from our present position. We have learnt
from past mistakes," he said.

Peace talks between the United National Party government,
which lost power to the People's Alliance after 17 years of rule
last month, and the LTTE ended in failure in June 1990.

The Tigers used the period of negotiations to replenish
weapons stockpiles -- allegedly with cash and arms given by then
President Ranasinghe Premadasa for use against Indian troops. The
Indians were responsible for implementing a peace pact.

The rebels fought the Indians and then turned their guns on
Premadasa's army after the peace talks collapsed.

"We will not allow that situation to happen again," Ratwatte
assured the troops.

He said the government had no intention of dividing the
country. "Sri Lanka will remain one country but through
discussions we will find a unit of devolution and see if they
will accept it. We will see how much power we can give them," he
said.