Fresh moves for peace

SLRC Chief behind enemy lines as Government emissary to facilitate direct talks with the Tigers

By Munza Mushtaq and Dharisha Bastians
President of the Sri Lanka Red Cross (SLRC) Jagath Abeysinghe visited the Wanni early this week in a bid to explore the possibility of direct talks with the LTTE, sources told The Bottom Line yesterday.

Abeysinghe visited Kilinochchi on Monday, with a letter from the government, inviting the LTTE hierarchy to the negotiating table, with unconfirmed reports claiming that the security forces provided special security for the SLRC Chief.

According to well informed sources, the government used Abeysinghe as an envoy, in order to determine the possibility of conducting direct talks with the Tigers, without the inclusion of the Norwegian facilitators.

SLRC Director Communications Merrick Pieris confirmed to The Bottom Line that Abeysinghe did in fact undertake a visit to the Wanni. He, however, claimed that he did not have any further details of the visit.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told The Bottom Line, that the government was very seriously looking at the possibility of resuming talks with the LTTE.

“We are expecting the LTTE to respond to our call very early,” Minister Bogollagama said.

However, it is also learnt that the government has not ruled out the possibility of approaching the Norwegian facilitators in a bid to bring the LTTE to the negotiating table.

However, despite the recent developments, sources claimed that it was unlikely for the LTTE to agree to talks right now, taking the present context into consideration, they did not have much to bargain with.

During the Abeysinghe-LTTE meeting, it is learnt that the Tiger organisation’s response to the government’s call, had not been very encouraging.