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By Charles Perera

I cannot believe that Mr.Robert Blake the Ambassador of USA in Sri Lanka meant what he said in his statement to the International aid donors to Sri Lanka in Galle. He is no doubt an intelligent man who could see through situations to arrive at credible conclusions. The statement purported to have been made by Mr. Blake that a military solution to Sri Lanka’s bitter ethnic conflict is not possible and call the government and Tamil Tigers to hold talks, cannot be what he really meant, because it is impossible for him to have said that , as he is an intelligent man.

If he did really say that and meant it, then one could candidly say that he had learnt nothing from his stay in Sri Lanka and he had failed to understand terrorism in Sri Lanka, as a man of intelligence capable of coming to realistic conclusions after observing conflict situations. That shows a lack of diplomatic maturity, and an inability to make frank and sincere assessment of an evident situation.

The terrorists want an Eelam in the North East. Nothing less, and nothing more. The government is not prepared to let the terrorists break away part of the Island of Sri Lanka to form there Eelam, but is prepared to negotiate devolution of power to the Tamil People for the protection of their cultural, and religious identity, within a Unitary State of Sri Lanka.

The government of Sri Lanka is willing to meet the terrorists and negotiate for a peaceful settlement of the issue. The President Mahinda Rajapakse had repeatedly said so and is prepared to meet the terrorist leader Prabhakaran himself for direct negotiations. Mr. Blake, may be aware of this ! But the Terrorists, are not prepared to negotiate with the government for any thing less than a separate Eelam.

They even refuse to come to the negotiating table. So where is the possibility for a political settlement of the issue. Only available option is the military one. How can one negotiate with the terrorists who do not want to negotiate. In that situation Mr. Blake how can any intelligent
person ask the government to come to a settlement through negotiations ? Have you tried to clap with one hand Mr. Blake ?

A dialogue is not possible with terrorists Mr.Blake. They fight for the pound of flesh no matter how much it would cost in terms of lives. This Mr.George Bush, your boss understood, and Mr. Blair as well. The terrorists in USA the Al-Keida are not visible like the LTTE terrorists in Sri Lanka.
Therefore Mr.George Bush rightly or wrongly decided to wage war against all forms of terrorism where ever it is found, therefore he declared war on Iraq and Afghanistan to eliminate the terrorists.

His tactics worked, because since he waged war against Iraq and Afghanistan, there had been no terrorism committed on the American soil. Mr. Bush did not even consider a dialogue, he went all out for a military solution, and carries on his spectacular military “option” out side the United States of America. So why this double tongued oratory Mr. Blake, is it to please the gallery and your International Community ? Is not your government doing just the opposite of what you propose us to do ?.

In Sri Lanka the situation is different. The terrorists are settled in the jungles of North and East and commit ruthless murders, all over the Island. They do not agree to come for a negotiated settlement . The Government of Sri Lanka has to stop their wanton killing , and find no alternative other than to use the army against them, only as a retaliatory measure. What we are doing in Sri Lanka is, what Mr.Bush is himself doing, the difference being that he has gone outside America to put in peril the lives of people of other Nations.

The terrorists of Sri Lanka are our own children they are not outsiders. But they have espoused terrorism as a means to win over their rights. The Government has asked them to come and have a dialogue to find a peaceful solution to their problem. They do not agree preferring to continue their campaign of terror to win their rights as terrorists.. The only solution open to Sri Lanka is therefore a military solution.

It is sad these men have to die because they are our own children , but George Bush is also sacrificing the lives of young Americans-his own children, not for his pleasure but to fight terrorism elsewhere, to keep away the terrorists overflowing in to America. Already more than three thousand young Americans have died in the military option of Mr.Bush, to eliminate all forms of terrorism in the world ,as he solemnly declared.

We are not sending our Army to another country as Mr.Bush did to fight terrorism. We are using our army against our terrorists Mr.Blake, and we know what we are doing, and regrettably so. No outsiders will come to deliver our country from terrorism, we have learnt it with regret. You and the International Community, will make sermons and offer us large repayable loans, and nothing more. We have a right to do , what we are doing, as much as Mr. Bush has the right, as he and his followers believe, to do what he is doing in Iraq, in Afghanistan, may be later in Iran and perhaps in North Korea.

Therefore, Your Excellency Mr. Robert Blake the Ambassador of USA in Sri Lanka, why don’t you first tell Mr. Bush that fighting in Iraq is not the solution to possible terrorism in America ?

But please do not tell us what we should do as we have tried every thing possible to stop terrorism peacefully, sacrificing for that the best sons of our land., and as a last resort we have used the military option and we think we are correct and soon we hope that the major stumbling block -the of
terrorism, that hampers our unity and progress on the path to development may be removed.

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