'People in Sri Lanka Want Peace Not War'

Tuesday, Apr. 16, 2002
TIME: What did you make of Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran's apparent ambiguity over whether he was renouncing the idea of a separate Tamil state?
Wickremesinghe: Well I would expect him to be ambiguous. The Tigers have also told the Norwegians that they are looking at viable alternatives. The path to a political solution is going to be very difficult. It is likely there is going to be a breakdown in the talks. That's also what the U.S. has been saying. I feel we can get there but it's going to be a very, very difficult journey. Let's not underestimate the obstacles we've got to face.

Our reporting shows that the Tigers' arms smuggling network is still up and running. It's still business as usual.
It doesn't surprise me. Our intelligence also shows that the network is still functioning. My government and the LTTE are discussing how to go about holding [peace] talks, while at the same time not having full confidence in each other. This is natural at this stage of the process. Originally the thinking was to have the talks while the fighting was going on. This situation is certainly an improvement on that. If there are any clashes, they will be confined to the sea where civilians are not involved.

Do you think the reported pressure on the Tigers post Sept. 11 is overstated?
There is a lot of pressure, not only on the LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]. I get the impression that the LTTE is trying to distance itself from other guerrilla groups and terrorist groups. They went on record from the very beginning and condemned Sept. 11.

One of the hinges on which this process seems to turn is Prabhakaran's ability to reform the Tigers from a totalitarian guerrilla group into a democratic political organization. Do you think he's capable of that? Do you think he even wants that after spending so long as an absolute leader?
In four years, the LTTE was turned into a conventional fighting force. With such organizing capacity, it will not be difficult to restructure it as a political organization. The bigger issue is whether the LTTE has the mindset to do so. The group is showing an interest in political activity; perhaps they are considering the option of having an organized political arm. But it's going to be a steep learning curve. In an army or guerrilla organization, you give orders and they are carried out. Politics is tough. It's all about cutting deals, persuading people...Others have adapted to it.

What about Prabhakaran himself?
For the first time Prabhakaran faced 300 journalists—and he did not turn out to be a disaster. Some of the questions he handled well. He didn't want to become entangled in the past. In a way, the LTTE is trying to distance itself from the past. That's my interpretation. The interesting question is why did he hold the media briefing? Does it signal that he wants change? Was he testing the waters? The experience of facing 300 reporters...even I don't think that's a good idea. Prabhakaran is being photographed with his wife and is seen wearing safari suits, so obviously they are preparing him for a role. This press conference may be one way of him learning to swim by having him jump into the deep end.

He was quite complimentary about you. Why do you think the Tigers seem to trust the Colombo government this time?
My party has stood steadfast on the need for a political solution. We did not join the anti-LTTE hysteria. We always said that one had to deal with the LTTE. And that is our priority. That may be the reason they trust us. I also tell the truth. If you tell your country the truth, at some stage the people will listen to you. As far back as 1986, I was saying the war could not be won. If you study the history of Sri Lanka, only on one occasion has an army traveled through the jungles of Wanni [Tamil Tiger territory], and that was 500 years ago. I have seen opportunities when we could have prevented a lot of this conflict by making small concessions. The national issue has sometimes been submerged in day-to-day politics and our country has paid a very high price for it in terms of people killed, suffering, opportunities lost.

There have been atrocities on both sides. Is there going to be any accounting for that?
There are discussions underway on what to do. People in Sri Lanka have lost faith in commission of inquiries. They want peace; they want to live together in one Sri Lanka. It's up to us to achieve it—the government, the opposition, the LTTE. I wouldn't mind if we could do it in a short time, but I don't think it will happen. Let's be realistic.