As hundreds of innocent civilians - both Sinhala and Tamil - perish in the escalating violence in Sri Lanka, the question of a negotiated political settlement becomes ever more difficult. Any such complex issue is inevitably rendered more complicated by the malevolent involvement of external powers. This involvement does unfortunately have long-term implications for India's security. While the prolonged conflict increasingly embitters both the major communities in Sri Lanka, India has steadfastly followed a policy since 1983, of attempting to work for reconciliation between the Sinhalas and the Tamil minority, by endeavoring to evolve a political solution which would meet the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil people within the framework of the unity and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.

There has been periodic criticism of India's good offices and diplomatic efforts which have aimed at bringing together the representatives of the Sri Lankan Government and the Tamil minority to work out a viable and durable constitutional set up which would meet the Tamil aspirations and enable the Tamil minority to live in Sri Lanka in safety and with dignity. This booklet presents a factual account of the efforts made by India, through its good offices, to assist in the restoration of peace, harmony and mutual trust in Sri Lanka. While the Annexure "C" proposals, worked out in 1983, did provide a framework for further negotiations between the Sri Lankan Government and the representatives of the Tamil minority, what has emerged after three years of persistent diplomatic efforts in the proposals finalized on December 19, 1986, clearly establishes that on major issues pertaining to the unit of devolution, provincial boundaries, merger of Northern & Eastern Provinces, institutional linkages, devolution of power, powers of the Centre to legislate on subjects under the Provincial List, law and order and land settlement, considerable progress has been made in evolving a constitutional framework which would meet the aspirations of the Tamil people.

Regrettably, however, far from pursuing the proposals of December 19, Sri Lankan leaders preferred to take the issue of ethnic conflict away from the conference table. In recent escalations of the undeclared war against the people of Jaffna and the fall of some pockets of resistance in the Jaffna Peninsula, the leadership in Sri Lanka was emboldened to enlarge the military operations.

If ever there was any doubt about the real intentions of the Sri Lanka Government, this was set at rest with the mounting of massive military onslaught against the Tamil population of Jaffna peninsula from the last week of May 1987. It became clear that Colombo was till then only buying time to organize its military machine for achieving a military solution on the ground. The negotiations were nothing but a charade.