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“PEACE IN SRI LANKA” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1044 on May 21, 2003.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
PEACE IN SRI LANKA
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HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.
of new jersey
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, May 21, 2003
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise on the House floor this evening to express my concerns about the pause in peace negotiations between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers. I would also like to reiterate my full support for peace talks between both sides to resume.
Mr. Speaker, Sri Lanka is a country that has suffered the tremendous loss of nearly 65,000 lives due to a longstanding internal conflict between Sri Lankans and the LTTE. On February 22, 2002, a groundbreaking ceasefire agreement was brokered by the Norwegian government and signed by both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE. At that time, we all wished for a successful peace process and both sides were committed to working towards the end goal of peace.
Although the agreement was fairly structured, a peace process can only proceed when all parties act on good faith and adhere to the agreed ceasefire accord. Unfortunately, the LTTE has recently withdrawn from the peace process and is boycotting the continued peace talks to be held in June in Japan at the Tokyo Donor Conference.
Mr. Speaker, the LTTE has said they will not participate in the Tokyo Donor Conference in protest over their exclusion from the preliminary conference held in Washington in April. The U.S. State Department did not invite the LTTE to the preliminary conference in Washington due to the fact that they remain on the State Department list of terrorist organizations.
Mr. Speaker, both sides claim violations of the ceasefire agreement. According to Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), many violations have been made by the LTTE since the cease-fire agreement. For example, the LTTE is still recruiting child soldiers, the LTTE has attacked the Sri Lankan Navy and a Chinese trawler, and the LTTE actively attempts to import arms, which have subsequently been intercepted by the Sri Lankan Navy.
The LTTE rebels also criticized the Sri Lankan military for its continued occupation of Tamil homes, schools, places of worship and other public buildings in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
I feel strongly that if the LTTE returns to the peace talks and participates in the Tokyo Donor Conference, a peaceful resolution between both sides can be worked out. The United States and countries around the world are concerned and would like to see the long process of building peace in Sri Lanka continue on a timely basis.
Mr. Speaker, the signed ceasefire offers a window of opportunity for peace in Sri Lanka and I encourage the LTTE to recognize and utilize this unique opportunity for working towards peace and stability.
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