'No Headway" In Sri Lanka Talks

BBC News

February 23, 2006

Sri Lankan officials and Tamil rebels are holding a second day of talks aimed at rescuing a fragile ceasefire, with no indications of any breakthrough.
Diplomats attending the meeting in Geneva said there was little sign of compromise, with both sides accusing each other of violating the 2002 truce.

The talks follow a recent upsurge in violence in Sri Lanka's north and east which has cost at least 120 lives.

Foreign donors have urged both sides to be "open and flexible" in discussions.

Much of the $4.5bn pledged by donors to help rebuild Sri Lanka is linked to progress in the peace process and remains on hold.

The BBC's Ethirajan Anbarasan in Geneva says no breakthrough is expected and the talks will be judged a success if the government and the rebels agree to meet again.

He says both sides have been talking tough and arguing from entrenched positions.

Violence in Sri Lanka has continued during the talks.

On Thursday, an army spokesman in Colombo accused the rebels of killing a Muslim man near Batticaloa in the east. The rebels denied the allegations.

Troops, in turn, denied Tamil Tiger claims they had shelled rebel positions.

On Wednesday, the rebels said six men in military uniforms had attacked one of their posts in Batticaloa district, and killed one of their members. The army said it had no knowledge of the incident.

'Rebuild trust'

The face-to-face meeting at a secluded chateau outside Geneva is the first in nearly three years.


"There is no development to report," a Sri Lankan government official is quoted as saying by AFP after the first day of talks.

Norwegian mediator Erik Solheim, who brokered the talks, urged delegates to rebuild trust.

"Confidence can only increase but it starts at a low level," he told journalists.

Both sides differ on their approach to the ceasefire.

While the government wants to widen its scope, the rebels want Colombo to crack down on armed paramilitary groups who they allege are supported by the government.

"The armed violence of the Tamil paramilitaries is posing a grave threat to peace and stability in Tamil areas and endangering the ceasefire," the rebels' chief negotiator, Anton Balasingham, is quoted as saying by Reuters.

Violence

At least 120 people - including about 80 soldiers and sailors and many civilians - have died in the upsurge of violence, which began soon after Mahinda Rajapakse assumed the presidency in November but has abated since the deal to hold talks was reached last month.

The attacks on the military have been blamed on the rebels, who deny involvement.

Tamil Tiger supporters say more than 40 Tamils have been killed by the security forces in a series of attacks since the start of December. Others blame some of those deaths on the rebels or other armed groups.

More than 60,000 people died during two decades of conflict in Sri Lanka.

The Tamil Tigers want autonomy for minority Tamils in the north and east. President Rajapakse has said the solution to the conflict lies in a unitary state.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/4742208.stm

Published: 2006/02/23 11:51:42 GMT

© BBC MMVI