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Presidential Resolve Towards Peace In The Manner He Envisions It, Comforting For The Nation!

In his usual pragmatic style H.E. The President Rajapakse has asserted in no uncertain terms in a bulletin to the Reuters News Agency that peace talks would take time. Perhaps being fully aware of the realities involved and the unpredictabilities of the LTTE who continue to remain fully armed terrorists his pragmatism has suggested a slow but realistic approach towards resolving the Nation's ethnic related woes with all the hurdles the Nation faces particularly from the LTTE Terrorists.

Yet somewhat curiously his offer to Reuters as reported, suggests what may be a Freudian slip which could be grossly misinterpreted by his LTTE adversaries that 'they' refering to the LTTE, can have a police force and it is not clear whether this is a misreport of the Presidents true intentions as interpreted by Reuters or whether it is a slip up of the quote from official sources as the quote suggests that the President has proclaimed quote unquote "One day there must be one country, one nation and one army."Then comes the eyebrow raiser "They can have a Police Force, yes, but there cannot be Two Armies, Two Air Forces, Two Navies." where the interpretation logically here is that they the LTTE will be permitted their own Policing and a matter for clarification beyond a light hearted banter!
In the overall perspective of a Sovereign Sri Lanka unalienable by LTTE secession and aspirations towards a divided separate homeland as envisioned by the LTTE which the President and all his supportives have unequivocally agreed upon to rescind and oppose while negotiating with the Tamil Community to address their needs as part of the Sri Lankan socio ethnic multicultural mosaic NOT TERRORISTS the only means towards resolution therefore remains a Unitary State incorporating the needs of all Miorities including the Tamils where the reference to the "They can have a Police Force" seems to be none but an off the cuff quip for which the President seems to have a reputation for other than a vague reference to the Tamils' entitlement to, by all means joining the Sri Lankan Police Force which would then make it tongue in cheek with a latently obvious subtle innuendo favouring the Tamils rather than the terrorists !

As would seem a normal trend of thought the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has unequivocally ruled out Tamil Tiger demands for a separate homeland in the island's North and East,while promising to " rein in armed groups" which also incorporate the Tamil Tigers logically being an armed group themselves and perhaps a message to them which could turn tables on an LTTE demand with a touch of the sublime to the ridiculous as the interpretations on two sides of the demand suggests that, indeed! the Government needs to rein in all armed groups including the LTTE while the LTTE believe they are exempt from the classification of being armed terrorists and that the only armed groups in question are the Paramilitaries of the Karuna Faction ! something which is on the fait accompli menu of the LTTE! but not so if the realities are viewed objectively and the word play of the President is indicative of tactical cunning!
As things stand at present Presidential allies the JVP and JHU have raised the question about the LTTE utilising the ceasefire in preparation for furthering their quest for Eelam and their suspicions are not too distanced from the truth as sporadic hit and run LTTE tactics have been endured in the recent past and just yesterday an arms shipment being transported by the Sea Tigers under the guise of fishermen has been blown up on their instigation rather than be apprehended which must send out warning signals to the President that great caution needs to be exercised about what concessions if any need to be extended to the terrorists with the cognizance that they are indeed terrorists!

It is an idealogical cocktail of paradigms pleasing to the listener of patriotic intent to be assured verbally that "There's only one country, we can share power. Not a separate state. That idea must be taken off ... it is completely out,This is a small country, where you can't have two states. I won't allow the country to be divided, You have to give up the concept of having two nations, or two countries ... There is no Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka. There cannot be an Eelam."" albeit somewhat confusing as to whom the president is prepared to share power with while making every effort towards preserving the unitarity of Sri Lanka. Whether it be with the fully armed Terrorists now maintaining a de facto control over parts of the North and East or the overall Tamil Community whose bounden inherant right it is to share the Nation with all citizens and clarification once again needed from the President for both the Nation as well as his supportive audiences around the globe towards the affirmations!

If the prudent anticipations of the JVP prove to be correct and the LTTE are indeed preparing for another insurrection there seems to be a huge challenge in store for the President where it may no be in the greatest hindsight to guarrantee any disarming of paramilitaries and to the contrary might prove to be the very catalyst needed to persuade the LTTE that as long as they continue to be fully armed unrelenting terrorists toward their Eelam aspirations the dialogue which may take centre stage in Geneva in the near future might not necessarily be a compromising of the responsibilities by the Government towards any anti Wanni progression which would be in the Government's favour though not acknowledged in so many words!

Furthermore the LTTE have to be made aware that the so called paramilitaries were a fallout towards LTTE disadvantage by their own creation and is a matter for them to deal with rather than making it an issue towards negotoiations for Peace as long as they the LTTE choose to continue as terrorists!

It seems comforting for the Nation also that the President has sounded his projected intentions for the Nation's well being if one reads between the lines. He has said that quote "I am a peaceful man. I am not a warmonger," For two months I was keeping the military on a tight leash. How long can I just keep my eyes closed? You must never corner a government leader, and him push him to the wall. If I am pushed to the wall ...," he said, ending his words on a note which indicated great resolve, determination and his fervent hope towards achieving peace in the manner he envisions it.




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