Former Norwegian peace envoy to Sri Lanka, Erik Solheim, says that the inability of the LTTE leadership to fully endorse federalism as the solution to the conflict and the power struggle within the Sri Lankan political elite were the two main problems for the peace process.
He stated that the peace process worked very well for a number of years, with thousands of lives boeng spared in Sri Lanka, and that they even cooperated closely with India.
“When both parties from around 2005-06 wanted to go back to war, it was limited what the international community could do,” Solheim said in an interview with Hindustan Times.
“The two main problems for the peace process was the inability of the LTTE leadership to fully endorse federalism as the solution to the conflict. It was wrong to isolate them as it led to limited understanding of the wider world. Secondly, the power struggle within the Sri Lanka political elite which made cooperation between the two main parties, the SLFP and the UNP, very difficult.”
Norway had an extensive role in the Sri Lankan peace process but it has often come under flak, with many calling it a failure. President Mahinda Rajapaksa recently even went on to accuse Norway and Solheim of ‘funding’ the LTTE.
In a statement on Monday, Solheim strongly denied Norway ever ‘financed’ LTTE. Rajapaksa, he said, was not only fully informed of Norway’s engagement with the Tigers but had met Solheim ‘dozens of times’ and asked him to pass on messages to the rebels. Solheim also reiterated his decision to testify before an international committee investigating war atrocities.
Asked about his thoughts on why the President has stepped up his hostile rhetoric against Norway and him at this particular moment, he said “it is all about the upcoming election.”
“Norway is used to being attacked for domestic political purposes in Sri Lanka. That has gone on for more than a decade,” he said.
On his upcoming testimony for the investigation established by the UN into allegations of war crimes during the final stages of the war, Norway’s former minister of international development stated that he considers it the duty of everyone, Sri Lankans and foreigners, to provide all relevant information to the investigators.
“The UN cannot work if we do not respect the decisions made by the UN as the legitimate body representing the global community,” he said.
Solheim, who is currently the chair of OECD in Paris, alleged that tens of thousands of Tamil civilians perished at the end of the Sri Lankan war. “The suffering was horrendous.”
“It is nothing but the responsibility of the UN to look into if war crimes were committed. We should all be grateful to Ban Ki-moon for his leadership here,” Solheim said.
