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President to summon all-party conference on peace
A senior British military official commissioned by the Government for three specific security related tasks will arrive in Colombo tomorrow on a week-long visit.

A dais in the cemetery where last rites are performed

A section of the burial site of LTTE cadres

The main task of Gen. Sir Michael Rose is to assist the United Front Government to find placements for security forces personnel, particularly the Army, in United Nations peacekeeping missions. Even if core issues have not been discussed so far with Tiger guerrillas in the ongoing peace talks, leave alone a peace accord being concluded, the Government is giving this matter top priority. It wants to downsize the Army.

Gen. Sir Michael is to hand over to the Government his report on how to train Sri Lankan troops for UN assignments. During a visit to Colombo in September, this year, he met with senior defence, security officials and visited military establishments.

Gen. Sir Michael, a highly decorated soldier, among other things, headed Britain's 22nd SAS Special Air Services Regiment and served a year (from 1994 to 1995) as Commander of the UN Protection Force (UNPROFOR) in Bosnia.

He has also been called upon to make his observations on recommendations for Higher Defence Control - the first report of the controversial Government Committee on Defence Reforms. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, gave him a copy of this report and sought his views.

The third task for Gen. Sir Michael is to advise UNF Government on matters relating to re-settlement of civilians in the High Security Zone (HSZ) in the Jaffna peninsula. In the wake of a Tiger guerrilla assault on Jaffna in early 2000, security forces expanded this zone to well over 70 square kilometres to prevent guerrilla artillery and mortar attacks. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) says it wants to re-settle over 70,000 displaced families from 17 villages in areas now covered by the HSZ - a move that will shrink the land area of the Security Forces Headquarters complex in Palaly.

Gen. Sir Michael, who was due early this month, delayed his visit due to personal commitments in UK. The Government is meeting all his expenses.

If the retired British Army General's services are being commissioned for specific tasks, another country that has stepped up military co-operation with Sri Lanka since the February 22 ceasefire is the United States. For the first time, the Air Force of the two countries have just concluded "Operation Teak Style," a joint combined exercise and training programme. A two-member team of Sri Lanka Navy Rear Admirals have just returned to Colombo after mission to study and report on procurements from there. The US is also helping the Government on defence planning and a variety of other matters.

The notice carved in granite advises visitors to observe silence and tread softly. Pix by Alfred Silva

In a surprise development last Thursday, the United States Government's official position on the ongoing peace process and the upcoming Oslo donors conference was reiterated before President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. US Ambassador Ashley Wills said there was no question of the US delegation to Oslo shaking hands with members of the LTTE delegation or sitting at the same table with them in Oslo.

He said the US Government had three specific criteria for the LTTE to meet - (1) Renounce claims for a separate State (2) Renounce violence (3) Accept pluralistic democratic polity of Sri Lanka.

Until these are fulfilled, Mr. Wills said, the LTTE will remain classified as a Terrorist Organisation in the United States.

His assertion of the US official position came when Mr. Wills accompanied by visiting Deputy US Trade Representative Jon Huntsman, a close friend of President George W. Bush, held a meeting with President Kumaratunga.

Also present were Lakshman Kadirgamar, Presidential Advisor on International Affairs and Sri Lanka's new Ambassador to United States, Devinda Subasinghe.

The reiteration of US policy to President Kumaratunga, The Sunday Times learnt, was in view of the November 15 statement issued by the People's Alliance expressing concerns over the peace process. The statement noted "It is reported the Government of the United States of America and the United Kingdom, both of which have proscribed the LTTE or declared it a terrorist organisation will be represented, at a high political level in the presence of the LTTE as an equal partner…..the signals that will go out from Oslo….. is that terrorism will in fact be rewarded when the interests of certain donor countries merge with the interest of terrorist groups…"

The US delegation to Oslo is headed by Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage. UNF Government sources say the US team, like that of UK, will not be in the same room where Government and LTTE representatives will meet. They say the Norwegians have studied the Lancaster House rules - a process which the British Government had followed during peace talks on Rhodesia. Protagonists had been in various rooms and British Government representatives had gone from one room to the other talking to them. These sources say Norwegian facilitators will follow a similar process.

Whilst UNF leaders prepared to leave for the Oslo meeting, President Kumaratunga, chaired a top level meeting of a PA leadership at the Presidential Secretariat last Thursday. It centered on the summoning of an All Party conference to discuss matters relating to the peace process. President Kumaratunga, The Sunday Times learns, will extend an invitation to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, inviting a United National Front team to take part in these talks. It is not immediately clear whether the UNF will respond to such a call.

One of the main aims of the proposed conference is to formulate an all-party commission to hear representations from representatives of all communities on the basis for a settlement of the ethnic issue. Such a commission is to comprise eminent personalities from the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities whose composition is to be decided upon after consultations between the parties concerned. The commission is to be called upon to hear a broader section of public views before formulating its report to the All-Party conference.

These developments come during a week that is important to the LTTE. Unlike previous years, the guerrillas will observe "Maveerar Week" from last Thursday (November 21) to Wednesday, (November 27).

This is the week during which the guerrillas honour their dead heroes, a week that during past years have been marked by violent incidents. On Wednesday, LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, will deliver his annual "Maveerar Week" address which culminates on his birthday.

The occasion is marked by religious observances. LTTE run cemeteries, or what they call "Maveerar Thuyilum Illam" or resting place for heroes, form an integral part of the LTTE run systems.

They dot many parts of the North- East and bear the remains of guerrilla cadres killed during the Eelam War.

These cemeteries, which will be crowded this week with next of kin taking part in religious observances, have some distinctive features. A "gateway" along a main road is the first indication of a cemetery nearby. Injured cadres are assigned to maintain these cemeteries.

The pictures on this page are from a cemetery just outside the Kilinochchi town. The LTTE says 17,763 guerrilla cadres were killed since the separatist war began and the ceasefire came into effect on February 22.

Though there is not much excitement over what Mr. Prabhakaran would say on Wednesday, his remarks will come as a pointer to how the UNF - LTTE peace process is progressing.

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