Misconceptions Of A Peace Envoy - In His Peace Mission

During an exclusive interview with one time Norwegian peace envoy to Sri Lanka Erik Solheim, which was published in last Wednesday’s Daily Mirror, senior journalist Easwaran Rutnam had posed a question whether he (Solheim) ever thought the LTTE was genuinely committed to peace, based on his internal discussions with the organisation.

- M.S.M. Ayub

Solheim had answered: “Absolutely. There is a misconception in the South. Please recall that the LTTE pursued peace when it was at the peak of its power. The LTTE was never before nor later as strong as they were in 2000-2001. It had overwhelmed Elephant Pass. It was very close to overtaking the entire Jaffna peninsula. It was beaten at the last moment because of Pakistani help to the GoSL. And they had destroyed the Sri Lankan economy with the attack on the Bandaranaike International Airport. So, it was at the peak of its strength that the LTTE pursued peace. So, it showed that the LTTE was absolutely genuine. However, it was ready to go all the way for a federal settlement, you may question. I think Prabhakaran wanted peace and was ready for peace, but there was a lot to compromise on.”

This answer shows the peace envoy had pathetically failed to understand the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or the LTTE, the rebel movement with which he had had close contacts for several years during his peace mission.

Easwaran again asks the same question in other words. “There were allegations that the LTTE used the peace process to regroup and strengthen its military capabilities. Norway was also accused back then of helping the LTTE procure arms. Is there any truth to those claims?”