On the Road to Peace

by Christopher Patten

Commission for External Relations, European Commission, European Union

In a previous existence, as British Development Minister, I rode into Jaffna on the back of a helicopter gunship. That was in the late 80s. My visits to Sri Lanka in those days were always tinged with a mixture of pleasure and sadness. Pleasure at visiting such a fascinating and diverse country. Sadness that the war in the North was curbing, and even reversing Sri Lanka’s successful development, and was a source of misery and terror to hundreds and thousands of its citizens.

Which is why I personally felt such pleasure at the signing of the permanent cease-fire agreement between the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The EU warmly welcomed the agreement on 27 February, as a first, concrete step on the road to peace. I am sure it will be a long road, and a bumpy one at times. But the Sri Lankan Government, the LTTE, and the government of Norway, as facilitator, must all be congratulated for their determination to start on the journey.

The EU has appealed to both parties to seize this historic opportunity to embark on a process of constructive dialogue. They must come to the negotiating table in good faith, and with determination to achieve a lasting peace. Above all, they need to rebuild the mutual trust destroyed in decades of conflict. The failure of past attempts teaches us that this will not be easy.

But while I believe that lessons can be learned from the past, Sri Lanka’s focus must now be on the future. We are all operating in an international context, which has changed quite dramatically since 11 September. The global fight against terrorism and increased international cooperation, in the United Nations and other international for a, have an impact on Sri Lanka. The LTTE has been banned as a terrorist organisation in several countries including India, the United States, the UK, Canada and Australia. The international community’s focus on terrorism is no flash in the pan. Organisations identified as terrorist, will not be able to carry on as if nothing had happened.

That is why the moment has come for LTTE to transform itself into a political organisation, an active participant in the democratic process. It is not enough to call itself a liberation organisation. LTTE must renounce all those activities and operations which led to it being declared a terrorist organisation. The cease-fire agreement provides an opportunity to make a start.

What does that agreement mean? An end to hostile acts against the civilian population. A new respect for each other’s cultural and religious sensitivities. Benefits to all inhabitants of Sri Lanka, since the agreement clearly implies that ending the conflict is not just about Sinhalese/Tamil relations. The interests and rights of Muslims and other ethnic groups also have to be taken into account. I believe the Tamil people are sincere partners in the agreement. They want to live in peace and dignity, with safeguards on their political, cultural and social rights. They want to rebuild their shattered lives and communities. But as Europeans have found over the past fifty years, the lasting solution to conflict can only come from establishing mutual respect and understanding between peoples.

Daring to trust each other has concrete benefits. The removal of check points in the South, the opening of new roads to the North, the easing of restrictions on movements of people, the lifting of the economic embargo on supplies to the North are the first dividends of peace. I am confident that further examples will follow.

Of course, the cease-fire agreement is not an end in itself. It has to pave the way and create the atmosphere for peace talks. Substantive issues still have to be addressed. It is vital that politicians on all sides make efforts to support the process, and treat peace as the overriding national priority.

The cease-fire agreement monitoring team will be led by Norway, and will include members from two European Union Member States: Finland and Sweden. The monitors cannot guarantee peace but they can help to safeguard the agreement. It is important that they are given the fullest support and cooperation by all parties and by the population at large. Just as vital, the people of Sri Lanka must have free access to the monitors and be able to express their concerns, without fear of harassment.