By: Col R Hariharan (retd.) (DefenceIndia Special)

After the European Union (EU) announced its intention to ban LTTE, the Sri Lankan Tamil insurgent organisation, there were two developments. One was the expected EU listing of LTTE as a terrorist organisation on May 29, 2006. And the other was a curious move apparently brokered by Norwegian peace envoy Erik Solheim for a meeting between Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and LTTE to be held at Oslo on June 8 and 9, 2006. The Oslo meeting was ostensibly to discuss the issues of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) after the EU ban came into force.

When the EU ban came into force, it brought along a few problems for the SLMM to operate in Sri Lanka. These were:

1. Other than Norway, which is not a member of the EU, three other Denmark, Finland, and Sweden countries officering the SLMM are EU members. Thus they would not be able to continue their role as monitors.
2. A new set of countries outside the EU membership would be required to officer the SLMM. Identifying such countries and requesting them to join the SLMM would take some time jeopardising the SLMM functioning at a crucial time when the future of the peace process is at stake.
3. Even if a few countries volunteer to participate, they should be acceptable to both the GOSL and the LTTE. This process also will take some time as both sides are indulging in real politick."
   

Thus working out the new SLMM modalities was not only urgent but also inevitable. But why all the parties involved – GOSL, LTTE, Norway and the SLMM – who are represented in Sri Lanka should go to Oslo is a mystery, unless we understand it as Norway's last ditch effort to create a more friendly climate, now the GOSL also had thrown the gauntlet in the killing spree. LTTE quickly accepted the offer to meet in Oslo. LTTE's ideologue Anton Balasingham in an interview stated categorically "The LTTE will take part in the discussions in Oslo, which will primarily focus on the function, the safety and security of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission." Such statements apparently built up high expectations from the Oslo talks.

Dr Palitha Kohona, head of the Sri Lanka Peace Secretariat led the GOSL delegation, while SP Tamilchelvan, head of the political wing led the LTTE delegation to Oslo. However, even before the meeting started on June 8, 2006, LTTE refused to sit with the GOSL delegation for the parleys. The LTTE gave two reasons for its decision: (1) the Sri Lanka delegation did not include any minister, LTTE considered it to be too low in ranking and without decision-making powers and (2) the presence of SLMM representatives from three EU countries - Sweden, Denmark and Finland at the meeting was objectionable.

A harried Erik Solheim later urged the LTTE to reconsider its rejection of EU citizens as monitors. [But it is doubtful whether it can be resurrected on the second day as Sri Lankan delegation plans to return to Colombo.]"Norway cannot fill the vacancies," he said, adding, "There will be two possible outcomes, either continue with a minimum set-up or we will have to approach other countries which have not banned the LTTE." He said that could take up to six months to organize and would involve removing current monitor head, Swedish Major General Ulf Henricsson. He blamed LTTE for the collapse of the Oslo talk even before it started. Evidently, LTTE had built up Solheim's expectations to unrealistic levels.

The surprise element of LTTE stand at Oslo was increased as all along LTTE had known the composition of the GOSL delegation. S.P.Thamilselvan's objection to the presence of EU member countries in the SLMM also contradicts Anton Balasingham's statement in an interview (Sunday Times, June 6, 2006 ). Replying a question whether LTTE would continue accept the Scandinavian monitors from EU countries he said "The monitors from EU countries represent the SLMM not heir individual countries. Anyhow this issue will be discussed at the Oslo meeting."

But Tamilselvan made clear the true intentions of LTTE in coming to Oslo . He said in a statement in the TamilNet website, that he had wanted to use the talks to discuss with the Norwegians the issue of the monitors and the EU's listing his group as terrorists. He considered such discussion would be productive "when the delegations raise the issues separately with the Norwegian facilitators." Thus it is clear the LTTE build up given to the Oslo talk earlier was only a ploy for LTTE delegation to visit Norway, like any diplomatic delegation from a sovereign state, after the EU ban came into force.

Why should LTTE come all the way to Oslo and refuse to talk? LTTE's drama in Oslo should not come as a surprise to those familiar with its past conduct. It attaches great importance to form than content. And tactical surprise is its stock in trade to get full value for its stand. LTTE is at present smarting under three decisions which have gone against it (1) imposing of the EU ban, (2) the SLMM clarification of LTTE's status as a non-state actor and (3) SLMM's clear stand denying sea rights to LTTE. And LTTE's visit to Oslo is to cock a snook at EU and the international community to legitimise its call on all the three issues. On June 5, 2006 Head of LTTE Peace Secretariat, S Pulithevan had given an idea about the shape of things to come at Oslo . He said the organisation would raise the issue of SLMM having three EU countries as its members.

Already SLMM had rejected LTTE's demand for the presence of SLMM monitor in its boats just it was done in Sri Lanka Naval ships. SLMM had ruled that its monitors couldn't be placed in LTTE ships, because in accordance with international law it enjoyed no right to the seas unlike Sri Lanka, which was a sovereign nation. We can expect LTTE to place more obstacles in the functioning of SLMM in the coming months as LTTE has given sufficient signals of its intention; Oslo is only one of them.

Col Soosai, Special Commander of the Sea Tigers, at a recent passing out parade of the Peoples Army cadres, a military training programme for civilians, gave an insight into the true mindset of LTTE. He said, "There will be no more fighting in pieces and in instalments. Our Leader's plan is to launch a campaign simultaneously in the North and East, which should redeem our homeland…before enemy starts the war against us, we must dismantle his positions and redeem our land. This is the best course of action…Instead of waiting for the enemy to launch the war we would have to take the initiative and take on the enemy. The best course of action is for us to leap forward and confront our enemy who is occupying us at present. We can succeed only through such a course of action." This is exactly what LTTE is doing at present and will continue to do, EU ban or no ban. Only now it is doing it at slow motion as it is fighting a low intensity war. Its agenda is gaining Eelam through peace or war.

(Col R Hariharan, a retired Military Intelligence specialist in counter-insurgency, served with the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka as Head of Intelligence E-Mail: colhari@yahoo.com)