Campaign against terror bolsters international support for deal
Talk of war in other parts of the world is providing the best chance yet for the success of the peace talks starting today.
Bangkok's diplomatic corps has been asked to lend its presence to a formal opening ceremony this morning to stress the point that while Tamil separatists' goals may not have changed, the world around them has.
Diplomats refer to some unexpected fallout from the US war on terrorism: the West is now more conscious of the terror inflicted by rebels backed by suicide bombers and a support system of underground arms and financial links.
This awareness has strengthened international support for a deal that would bring Tamil Tigers in from the cold, these diplomats argue.
There is a recognition that while no one can win the war on the ground, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is sustained by a wide-ranging international support network, and only by chipping away at that, will peace be possible.
Australia, Britain, Canada, India and the US - homes to large Tamil communities - have maintained bans on the group, even as Colombo has lifted its ban.
The US has warned the Tigers, who have carried out more than 200 suicide bombings, that they risk the wrath of the international 'coalition against terrorism' if they scuttle the peace bid.
Leading the peace process is a Norwegian team that has worked hard to foster global backing and the option of international pressure on the combatants. This is all the more important given fears that it is Colombo which has given away the most power so far to get these talks under way.
Some journalists with long experience in covering the war say the Tigers see the peace talks as just a useful pause in a war of independence.
Asked what bargaining power the government has, diplomatic talk revolves around the post-September 11 environment, linked with an unstated threat of international pressure, and even US military help, should the talks fail.
Colombo hopes it can at least attain the moral high ground through its willingness to make concessions now, when the world is being asked by Washington to clamp down on what it calls terrorism.
Even the choice of Thailand as the location for this first round of what is expected to be a protracted peace process carries a message, some diplomats suggest.
Aside from the platitudes about Thailand being a stable and ideal place for talks, the fact is that several Tigers listed by Interpol are living openly in Thailand, and the traffic of arms from Thailand's west coast to Sri Lanka is well known.
By engaging Thai face and national pride in the peace process, they say, negotiators are securing the option of a crackdown by Thailand and many other safe harbours for Tamil fighters.
'The irreversibility of the process is becoming more difficult to combat,' one diplomat said.
The US Embassy in Colombo said on Friday Washington was 'hopeful that the talks will lead to a permanent end to the conflict based on the principles of democracy and respect for human rights, while maintaining Sri Lanka's territorial integrity'.
Work has begun at the International Labour Organisation on what work could be found for demobilised rebel fighters should the talks succeed.
