Financial Times

Talks? Thank God there’s a second round

It wouldn’t have come at a worse time. First Sri Lanka lost to Bangladesh, babes in test and one-day cricket, and then the peace talks didn’t go the way most people expected – though the press release that came out had all the niceties and “we’ll meet again” kind of message.

Yet there was positive news too with Dialog, the country’s biggest mobile telephone operator with the largest reach in terms of telephones, reporting record-breaking results for any listed company and the Colombo Stock Exchange planning to open a “mini” exchange in Jaffna once the peace process got cracking.

Another positive sign was the recent conduct of the Under 19 World Cup cricket tournament without any problems and praise from the visitors.
One shouldn’t however be disappointed with the conflicts that arose last week at the negotiating table. At least the two sides didn’t threaten to break the process and start fighting. After decades of war and hardened positions, one can’t expect miracles overnight particularly when the Sri Lankan government has a ‘complicated’ group of political partners who are opposed to the Tigers. Getting their okay to talk with the Tigers alone was overcoming the biggest hurdle.

Veteran negotiators across the world will tell you that ups and downs are expected in a process as difficult as Sri Lanka’s crisis. The ‘other’ side always wants more and the issue is how to balance their interests, the government’s interests and the interests of the people.

The hopes and aspirations, including those of the business community, that the peace talks will succeed have been reflected in dozens of religious ceremonies and prayer meetings being held across the island and also in the lighting of thousands of oil lamps for peace.

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce asked and won support in the community to back a Sarvodaya initiative to light oil lamps as a symbol of peace and a desire for the talks to succeed. The chamber has in recent months been in the forefront of initiatives by the business community to push the peace process forward. That’s commendable and should be appreciated.

Reports from the talks refer to hardened positions and refusals to budge from stated positions. The LTTE wanted the disbanding of para military groups like the Karuna faction while the government side said that was not on the agenda. Government ministers are said to have consulted with President Mahinda Rajapaksa repeatedly on this issue as the LTTE stuck to their guns and threatened to call off the talks.

The talks anyway were unlikely to result in any major changes in the ceasefire agreement. The breakthrough of sorts, we repeat, is that the two sides are meeting more than three years after talks broke down. That itself is an achievement and should provide some comfort to the private sector that a fresh process has begun, and hopefully will stay on course as long as the two sides – while engaged in tough negotiations and bargaining positions – are sincere about peace.

Everyone knows that there can be no investment without political stability and peace. Sri Lanka has struggled with its development plans because of the war and learnt many lessons on the way. What is important is not to lose heart when there are minor reversals like conflicts at the first round of peace talks. What is even more important is that the two sides have asked the Swiss government to arrange the next set of talks for April 19-21 in Geneva.
In the joint statement issued at the end of the talks, the Sri Lankan government team and the LTTE delegation said they were “committed to taking all necessary measures to ensure that there will be no intimidation, acts of violence, abductions or killings”.

It said the LTTE is committed to taking all necessary measures to ensure that there will be no acts of violence against the security forces and the police. The government has a even tougher task – reining in the Karuna factions – and other non-state groups.

Hopefully, the first round of talks with the tigers under President Mahinda Rajapaksa would see some positive developments in terms of creating an environment for peace and stability.

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