The Jathika Hela Urumaya yesterday said they would support and join the government’s National Advisory Committee on peace and reconciliation, only on the condition that the LTTE accepted the territorial integrity and the legal framework of the country.
The JHU stressed that the "North and East should be seperated," in order to maintain peace within the two provinces. Only a third of the Eastern community consists Tamils.
JHU Leader Ven. Ellawela Medananda Thero addressing a press conference, to announce the party’s stand on the President’s invitation for them to join in the establishment of an advisory committee to recommence peace talks, said the JHU would not be a part of the advisory committee if the President decided to commence Peace talks based on the Interim Self Governing Authority. "We would only act as observers for the time being and not be a part of the committee."
He said that the party had received two invitations, one from the President and the other from the Peace Secretary Jayantha Dhanapala to be part of the Committee which would consist of representatives from all political parties.
The Thero said that the LTTE should give up the idea of establishing an Eelam. They should wholeheartedly accept the territorial integrity and the legal framework of the land giving up all ideas of commencing talks based on an Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA).
Medananda thero pointed out that they had put forward certain conditions which the President and the government should satisfy before going to the negotiating table.
The main condition he said was the LTTE should "hand over all weapons in their possession and give a pledge to a democratically appointed government that they would join the democratic mainstream.
"They must give up all killings and abductions and join democracy," the Thero said.
Medanada thero said the LTTE should put a complete stop to recruiting children as soldiers immediately. Even the international community had continuously urged the LTTE to put a stop to recruiting children to its cadres, he said.
"The LTTE should put an immediate stop to further outrages against the Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim Communities as well as all other party activists who are against them in the North and East."
The LTTE was able to have such a stronghold in the East because the two provinces were merged by the Peace accord signed in 1987.
Peace would prevail in these two provinces only if they are separated," Ven. Medananda said.
The JHU said they had made representations to the European Union (EU), representatives of the American Embassy and several other representatives of the international community to give them a clear view of the picture. "We wanted them to see that the LTTE was not what they painted themselves to be... the brutalities they have committed against the people of this country and the destruction they have caused in the past.
"We must also be able to impress upon Norway that it should leave and allow the government and the LTTE to carry out negotiations, the JHU said. "But the Norwegians have been invited by the President and then by the Former Prime Minister of the UNF their presence as mediators are lawful in this country."
The Venerable Thero called the UPFA a "limping government," and said that they were trying their best to apply medication in order to correct the limp. "However the opposition and some members of the government will not leave the anointed medicine on the foot which is limping," he quipped.
JHU Parliamentary Leader Ven. Athureliye Ratana Thero pointed out that the opposition was observing double standards. "while the UNP was in power it avoided the issue of the ISGA. But now after the UPFA came into power the UNP as the opposition holds that the government should be prepared to talk peace some how — at any cost."
"However we would wait to see what the President’s response to our communiqu`E9 in this regard is," he said.
