Letter from Sri Lanka Deputy Defence Minister to LTTE

தமிழ்த் தேசியம்

"To us all towns are one, all men our kin.
Life's good comes not from others' gift, nor ill
Man's pains and pains' relief are from within.
Thus have we seen in visions of the wise !."
- Tamil Poem in Purananuru, circa 500 B.C

Dear Mr. Pirabaharan,

Thank you for you letter dated December 8, 1994.

We have noted your views regarding Peace, the militarisation of the ethnic problem and the well being of the Tamil people, with great interest. We wish to assure you that our lasting concern for the 'day-to-day problems' of the Tamil people and of our commitment to solve them to the best of our ability, with your fullest co-operation. The details concerning all these matters could be discussed at negotiations.

We are glad that you have agreed to reciprocate by observing a cessation of hostilities if the Government makes an Official declaration of same.

We are willing to declare a cessation of hostilities on the 1st January 1995, for an initial period of 2 weeks. We will intimate same to you by letter while announcing it to the media.

We request the LTTE to reciprocate by declaring a cessation of hostilities on your part and intimating same to the Government by letter and if you desire, announcing it publicly.

If you agree to the above proposal, the Government is prepared to send a delegation to Jaffna to discuss the modalities of implementation of the cease-fire, before declaring the cessation of hostilities.

We suggest that the delegation could go to Jaffna on Wednesday the 21st or Thursday, the 22nd of December. You have stated that 'a condition of Peace should be a prelude to Peace negotiations'. We take it that what you mean by a 'condition of Peace' is a cessation of hostilities between the two parties.As stated in my last letter, I cannot agree more with you that the Government cannot enter into Peace talks with the LTTE while hostilities continue.

We appreciate your commitment to Peace. I am sure you are aware that we have consistently stated our firm commitment to Peace.

We believe that it is now time to keep the country informed of the recent developments in our dialogue. We, therefore, propose to release the relevant information to the Press after you receive this letter.

Thanking you, With kind regards,
Yours Sincerely,

Col. Anuruddha Ratwatte
Deputy Minister of Defence
Minister for Irrigation, Power & Energy

Chandrika - LTTE Talks: 1994/95