Five years since the Ceasefire Agreement of Sri Lanka

22 February marks five years since the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) entered into the mutual Ceasefire Agreement. On this occasion, Norwegian Minister of Development Cooperation Erik Solheim commented that the establishment of the Ceasefire Agreement was a tremendously positive development for Sri Lanka.
 
– When the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE entered into the Ceasefire Agreement in 2002, they put an immediate stop to 20 years of fighting in which tens of thousands of people lost their lives. The silencing of guns stopped the bloodshed and significantly alleviated humanitarian suffering. The economy and tourism picked up rapidly. People were finally able to travel freely to areas that had for all practical purposes been closed off for years. The Ceasefire Agreement also allowed the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to begin negotiations on a political solution to the conflict, said Minister Solheim.
 
Some killings continued in spite of the ceasefire agreement.

– One killing was followed by another, and the violence escalated. The problem started when the parties decided not to implement the agreement into which they themselves had entered. Massive human rights abuses, grave humanitarian suffering and the displacement of over 200 000 people are among the results. It is the responsibility of the parties to put a stop to this and to demonstrate the political will to reach a lasting settlement. It is my strong hope that both parties will recognise the need to secure the full implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement as a first step toward reaching a political solution, said Minister Solheim.
 
Solheim further expressed his high regard for the continued work of the Nordic civilian observer group, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, mandated by the Ceasefire Agreement.
 
– The government of Norway remains in regular contact with the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE. Norway is willing to go the extra mile to assist their peace endeavours at their request. As soon as the parties renew their peace efforts, we will be ready to do all we can to help. It is my sincere opinion that the vast majority of Sri Lankans have a strong yearning for peace, said Solheim.