Tiger Country
Whatever the outcome of peace talks between Colombo and the separatist Tigers, a Tamil nation in all but law already exists in Sri Lanka's battle-scarred northeast
Perhaps more than anyone, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is the man leading Sri Lanka toward peace. He has long argued for dialogue with the Tamil Tigers, and his political party won last December's parliamentary election partly on this platform. But his critics—including President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who heads a rival party—say he's too trusting of the rebels, too willing to hand them control of the northeast. At Temple Trees, his official residence in Colombo, Wickremesinghe spoke to TIME's Alex Perry.
TIME: What's the key issue in the talks? Wickremesinghe: Development. Only through that can we consolidate the peace process. People in both the north and south want a peace dividend. They want reconstruction, schools, employment. I do not think a legal document [drawn up at the peace negotiations] is going to be enough to satisfy the people. At the moment we have no resources; we're bankrupt.
TIME: Will the Tigers accept less than full independence? Wickremesinghe: They're leaning toward autonomy. The LTTE itself is changing. It's an organization dedicated to armed conflict, terror, guerrilla warfare. But it's trying to move away from that position and mindset. The issue is no longer conflict and what they're used to in battle. Sometimes we see a difference of opinion between the fighters and the small band of civilian, political workers. We've been discussing ideas of autonomy and confederacy since 1985, but these are all new to the LTTE. They simply don't have the culture.
TIME: Will you ever meet Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran? Wickremesinghe: I suppose that at some point that meeting will be necessary. But a lot of peace processes break down on symbolic meetings because expectations are so high. You should aim for the tree tops, and from there you can look at the stars.
TIME: What about dealing with President Kumaratunga? Wickremesinghe: I have known the President for a long time; our relationship has always had its ups and downs. There are disagreements between us, but she has publicly committed herself to the peace process and she cannot withdraw given the public mood. After nearly 20 years of fighting, there are suspicions on both sides. But as the process moves forward, this will matter less.
