|
"LTTE should have implemented the
CFA of 2002 in 2002 …"
- Dayan Jayatilleka
The Permanent Mission
of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office at Geneva
11th January 2008
Translation of the interview with H.E. Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka, Ambassador
and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations at Geneva
by the BBC Sinhala Service Sandeshaya on 10th January 2008.
Presenter:
… The LTTE has issued a press release stating that, despite the
government's decision to abandon the Cease-Fire Agreement (CFA), it
(the LTTE) has decided to continue to abide by it. The release further
states that it was deeply disappointed by the Government's decision
to withdraw from the CFA. According to the LTTE, it was the Sri Lankan
Government which has continuously violated the CFA. To learn more about
the Government's reaction to these statements, BBC Sandeshaya spoke
to Dayan Jayatilleka, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the
United Nations in Geneva.
Dayan Jayatilleka:
The LTTE should have implemented the CFA of 2002 in 2002 and not in
2008! Having violated the Agreement in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006,
2007 & 2008, the LTTE now says that it is willing to implement the
2002 CFA in its entirety without any changes. This is a joke.
Presenter:
But they also say that the state security forces, in other words, the
state too has violated the Cease-Fire Agreement on a number of occasions.
Dayan Jayatilleka:
You see, the SLMM (Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission) has released statistics.
According to those statistics, the number of occasions on which the
state security forces had violated the Cease-Fire was very low. On the
contrary, there were about 10,000 instances on which the LTTE had violated
this Agreement. When they are in trouble, when they realize that they
are going to lose the war, they say that they would respect the Cease-Fire.
But, as they say in English, their commitment to the CFA is "too
little, too late".
Presenter:
Now, the LTTE statement shows a certain willingness, an interest on
the part of the LTTE to return to peace negotiations…
Dayan Jayatilleka:
How can that be? In 1987, in July 1987, the LTTE chief Prabhkaran said
in Sudumalay that he was willing to accept the Indo Sri Lanka Peace
Accord. But on 10th October 1987, he started waging war against the
Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF). This is what Prabhakaran always does.
When he is in trouble, he says that he is ready for peace negotiations.
But, later the LTTE rearms itself and attacks. We place no trust in
anything that the LTTE says.
See related link:
LTTE too little too late - Dayan
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2008/01/080110_dayanltte.shtml
www.lankamission.org ©
|
