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The
Lankaweb Weekly Editorial
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FRONT
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Current
US Advice To Sri Lanka On How To Handle The Peace Process Invoves Double
Standard.
As the various tenets of posturing continue with the many protagonists of peace waving olive branches at the enemy, somehow the attempts of the white flag carrying USA backing every move of the ever smiling Ranil Wickremasinghe do not seem convincing enough towards a rock solid resolution to the problem as there seems to be a double standard involved unfortunately. US involvement in the Sri Lankan Peace Process neither guarantees the return to normalcy required to restore peace and harmony within the country nor does it assure the Sinhala Nation of any restitution to the damage that was deliberately caused by the LTTE during decades of havoc and destruction beyond the high flown rhetoric involved. The stinging questions asked by many opposition parties relate to how little the US has accomplished in their many efforts to bring peace to various troubled regions citing the Middle East and Afghanistan as prime examples and the ironic support for peace overtures with the LTTE and Prabhakaran which is not on a parallel with their approach to Al Quaeda and Osama Bin Laden. Conversely their unstinted support for Israel in denying the Palestinian Nation of the right to exist makes little sense other than a display of favour towards speculation in their own interests. While US involvement may provide a platform of deterrent towards the LTTE ever resuming their attrocities with very audible warning issued concerning the consequences of any LTTE fancy moves towards their own objectives i.e. secession, the US Representative has also stated in no uncertain terms the need to lay down arms officially, denounce their struggle for separation and proving to the Sri Lankan Government and the International Community their genuine intentions towards a lasting peace. Interestingly the recent visit of the US Representative Armitage has not prioritised meeting up with LTTE Representation on the basis that they are a banned and proscribed group in the USA together with other leading nations and have had discussions with the representatives of the Government as well as Tamil Community leaders and a point worth noting although a token visit to the Wanni appears to be part of the agenda which to a degree imposes once again a double standard which makes many wonder about the credibilities of US involvement in Sri Lanka's Peace Process even more so than Norways!!. Meanwhile certain front benchers of the UNF Administration and in particular their bipartisan media appear to be on a trampoline of jubilation regarding the USA's latest responses which they see as an endorsement of all of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's moves towards pleasing the 'tigers' and synonymously syphoning propaganda towards justifying his attempts to restrict the powers of the elected Executive President of the Nation to suit his own ends and that of his caucases. The visiting US Government Representative Armitage has however stated that the US Government has no intention of being involved with the Peace Talks other than in an advisory capacity as in all wisdom it would then be a visible double standard considering their relentless pursuit of international terrorists on one hand and the preaching of peace initiatives to Sri Lanka on the other! which the many opposition parties refered to earlier have ridiculed very justifiably. To have the friendship and support of the world's most powerful Nation as an ally is truly comforting to Sri Lanka provided it delivers what it proclaims as support in the truest sense but seemingly worthless if the inferences end up being misconstrued by the LTTE as favourable to their cause rather than that of the Sinhala Nation as the hankering going on presently points out the wisdom of the age old proverb which says"What's Sauce For The Goose Is Sauce For The Gander!" So why should the USA's advice be applicable to Sri Lanka about 'Peace Talks' when they have not applied the same principle in their own backyard? Bunker Busters, Remote Controlled Deadly Missiles, Tanks and Military Expertise to combat the terrorists in their path ( The Phillipine Army was also recently fortified with US Military Personnel and weaponry in pursuit of Abu Sayyak terrorists!) but ahimsa and negotiated peace in dealing with the Sri Lankan terrorist entity and handing on a platter all their demands pointing to a huge amassing of their contingency plans for eelam?
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