[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 21, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1044]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           PEACE IN SRI LANKA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 21, 2003

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise on the House floor this evening to 
express my concerns about the pause in peace negotiations between the 
Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), 
also known as the Tamil Tigers. I would also like to reiterate my full 
support for peace talks between both sides to resume.
  Mr. Speaker, Sri Lanka is a country that has suffered the tremendous 
loss of nearly 65,000 lives due to a longstanding internal conflict 
between Sri Lankans and the LTTE. On February 22, 2002, a 
groundbreaking ceasefire agreement was brokered by the Norwegian 
government and signed by both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE. 
At that time, we all wished for a successful peace process and both 
sides were committed to working towards the end goal of peace.
  Although the agreement was fairly structured, a peace process can 
only proceed when all parties act on good faith and adhere to the 
agreed ceasefire accord. Unfortunately, the LTTE has recently withdrawn 
from the peace process and is boycotting the continued peace talks to 
be held in June in Japan at the Tokyo Donor Conference.
  Mr. Speaker, the LTTE has said they will not participate in the Tokyo 
Donor Conference in protest over their exclusion from the preliminary 
conference held in Washington in April. The U.S. State Department did 
not invite the LTTE to the preliminary conference in Washington due to 
the fact that they remain on the State Department list of terrorist 
organizations.
  Mr. Speaker, both sides claim violations of the ceasefire agreement. 
According to Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), many violations have 
been made by the LTTE since the cease-fire agreement. For example, the 
LTTE is still recruiting child soldiers, the LTTE has attacked the Sri 
Lankan Navy and a Chinese trawler, and the LTTE actively attempts to 
import arms, which have subsequently been intercepted by the Sri Lankan 
Navy.
  The LTTE rebels also criticized the Sri Lankan military for its 
continued occupation of Tamil homes, schools, places of worship and 
other public buildings in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
  I feel strongly that if the LTTE returns to the peace talks and 
participates in the Tokyo Donor Conference, a peaceful resolution 
between both sides can be worked out. The United States and countries 
around the world are concerned and would like to see the long process 
of building peace in Sri Lanka continue on a timely basis.
  Mr. Speaker, the signed ceasefire offers a window of opportunity for 
peace in Sri Lanka and I encourage the LTTE to recognize and utilize 
this unique opportunity for working towards peace and stability.




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