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LTTE
says won't budge on ISGA This was conveyed to Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar by his Swiss counterpart Micheline Calmy-Rey when the two met in Colombo yesterday for official bilateral talks. Ms. Calmy-Rey is on a four-day visit to discuss issues, especially revolving around the Sri Lankan peace process. A Swiss Foreign Ministry statement issued shortly before Ms. Calmy-Rey's departure for Colombo said that her visit was connected with an attempt by her to revive peace talks between the government and the LTTE and that Switzerland backs the Norwegian efforts at bringing the parties to the negotiating table. The peace process was, however, not on the agenda for the bilateral talks, but was taken up under any other matters, a Colombo Foreign Office spokesman told The Sunday Times. According to Ms. Calmy-Rey, the Swiss authorities had asked the LTTE to stop its 'political killings' and urged it to re-consider resuming the peace process based on the Oslo Declaration. The LTTE team had said that the LTTE would consider the Swiss request, but would not shift from its present stance that talks must resume based on ISGA, LTTE-controlled self-rule in the north and east provinces. The LTTE delegation which is on a week-long visit to Switzerland is headed by its political wing chief S. P. Thamilselvan and includes its chief peace negotiator Anton Balasingham. Mr. Kadirgamar had also raised the issue of Swiss Foreign Ministry officials attending the meeting with the visiting LTTE delegation under a portrait of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. Ms. Calmy-Rey had, however, responded by saying that the meeting was held at a hotel in Geneva under the auspices of the LTTE, and her officials had no say in the matter. The LTTE has a solid base of supporters as well as funders operating from Switzerland, and the Swiss Government has for years allowed them to hold rallies, including fund-raisers. Ms. Calmy-Rey is reported to have praised the estimated 40,000 Sri Lankan Tamils living in Switzerland, and referred to them as "hard-working, helpful and a good community" when the issue of repatriation came up during the talks. The Swiss government was pushing for a permanent repatriation agreement. Last year 64 Sri Lankan Tamil asylum-seekers were repatriated to Sri Lanka compared to double the number the previous year. Last Thursday, US Congressman James. A. Leach, Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific of the House Foreign Relations Committee named Switzerland as one of the western country's from which the LTTE runs a "sophisticated international fund-raising campaign". "Most of the financial support comes from the Tamil Diaspora in countries such as Switzerland, Canada, and the Scandinavian countries where there is no ban on transactions with the Tigers. It is my understanding that the LTTE's overseas activities include investments in real estate, restaurants, stocks and money-market funds. Even films, food festivals, and cultural events may contribute to insurgent income. The US Department of State also reports that expatriate Tamil communities in Europe have been tied to narcotics, smuggling, and other potential source of funding. In this context, surely the stark record of LTTE terrorism demands a firmer response from our friends and allies abroad," Congressman Leach said. Swiss Foreign Minister Calmy-Rey is due to meet Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe today before he leaves for India. She will pay courtesy calls on President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse tomorrow and on Tuesday. |
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