25.5.2008
The US has asked LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran to
give up demand for a separate Tamil state saying the community
wanted a solution to the over two-decade-old ethnic conflict
within a "united" Sri Lanka.
"...I
think it would be very useful for Prabhakaran to give
up this idea of seeking an independent Tamil state and
agreeing to negotiate with a united Sri Lanka," US
Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert Blake said.
Blake
said from his discussions with Tamil people in Sri Lanka,
he thinks "95 per cent of them support a solution
within a framework of a united Sri Lanka.
"They
(the Tamil people) are not seeking an independent Tamil
Eelam which Prabhakaran is seeking," Blake told the
Sunday Observer Newspaper.
Blake
said giving up the idea of a separate state, would give
Prabhakaran "lots of credibility to respond to lots
of skepticism here in the South (Sri Lanka) that the LTTE
would never negotiate with the government."
The
US envoy said Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims have been
living together in a peaceful manner in the country.
"I
always remind people who are visiting from US that Sinhalese,
Tamils and Muslims lived together and continue to live
peacefully together.
"Tamils
are living in Colombo peacefully with their Sinhalese
and Muslim friends. So there is no ethnic conflict here.
And certainly the government is defending itself against
terrorism," he said.
In
reply to another question, Blake said US believes that
the answer to the conflict lies with a power sharing concept
which can respond to the aspirations of Sinhalese, Tamils
and Muslims.
"We
also believe that in this very important stage of the
conflict, it is very important for the government to address
the human rights issues as well," Blake said.
He
also welcomed the "positive" developments in
Eastern Sri Lanka.
"I
think (Sri Lankan) President (Mahinda) Rajapaksa and the
Sri Lankan Government made very important progress over
the past year. First they have expelled the LTTE from
the East. That is a positive development and secondly
they have restored government services.
"...There
is a greater sense of normalcy in many towns in the East.
People are out late at nights, going for movies and for
shopping which is a big achievement after 20 years. There
is stability now, in that part of the country".
On
the elections in the region, Blake said it is important
to allow the local inhabitants to represent their views.