| Editorial | ||||
|
Playing hardball The next round of talks in Thailand is scheduled to take place tomorrow, and from all accounts they are not going to be easy from the point of view of the Sri Lankan negotiators. Anton Balasingham who is the head of the LTTE delegation is not headed for the talks via Sri Lanka, but Karuna and Tamilselvan flew to Thailand via Colombo on Friday night. The general banter and pre-talk warm up between the Sri Lankan and the LTTE delegations has not taken place this time around from all the information that we have, and whereas the reclusive LTTE boss operating from his bunker HQ usually gives the brief to his 'Senior Counsel' Anton Balasingham, this time the information we have is that his brief has been given to the two boys from the jungles Karuna and Tamilchelvan. From all indications,
and particularly given the fact that it was Karuna who represented
the consultations with Sri Lankan government representatives on
the matter of the High Security Zones, it is clear that the issue
of these zones will be taken up by the LTTE at the forthcoming talks,
even though the government wants to take on the core issues dealing
with a political solution leading upto a federal solution etc. But the LTTE
has categorically stated that "core issues" are not going
to be on their agenda. Anton Balasingham has said so in an interview
with TamilNet, and Tamilselvan has said it in an interview with
one of our representatives. All of this
shows that the LTTE is playing hardball, while the government is
reciprocating with its usual game of botch and bungle. For example,
the Army has formulated lengthy proposals on why it should not move
from high security zones, detailing why this is not possible due
to certain eventualities which have to do with possible threats
or attacks. This for all intents and purposes has to do with the
army's strategic plans and is classified information that is now
in LTTE hands thanks to bureaucratic bungling at high levels. The
same with the controversy surrounding the import of radio equipment
for an LTTE station. In possession
of information classed as “secret” on the High Security
Zones, the LTTE will be able to apply more pressure on our negotiators
at the forthcoming talks. The government's
slogan has been that warm hearts and cool heads are needed to negotiate
peace, but the LTTE is playing hardball and whether the government
has the stomach to meet the challenge remains to be seen. The Prime Minister
will eventually have to carry the can for what some rather tuned
out bureaucrats seem to be doing, and this, mind you, in contrast
to the well oiled machinery of the LTTE which is so aggressive and
so well equipped to play this kind of hardball game of brinkmanship
- their trump card- suicide bombers - being dangled threateningly
quite often. It is the Prime Minister who will have to carry the can and take the blame when there comes a time to take the rap for this kind of bureaucratic bungling. The twin cases of the High Security Zone report release and the VoT issue are case studies of bad governance. |
||||
|
No.
8, Hunupitiya Cross Road, Colombo 2. P.O. Box: 1136, Colombo.
Editor - steditor@wijeya.lk , News - stnews@wijeya.lk Features - stfeat@wijeya.lk Business - btimes@wijeya.lk Subs - suntimes@wijeya.lk, Funday Times - funtimes@wijeya.lk EDITORIAL OFFICE Tel: 326247, 328889, 433272-3. Fax: 423922, 423258 ADVERTISING OFFICE Advertising - advt@wijeya.lk , Fax: 423921 CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT No. 10, Hunupitiya Cross Road, Colombo 2. Tel: 435454, 448322, 074 714252. Fax: 459725
Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
