Lankan Muslims to offer counter peace plan
Tigers raise peace hopes
AFP, Colombo
Sri Lanka's minority Muslims are preparing their own peace plan in response to an historic power-sharing proposal offered by Tamil Tiger rebels, the main Muslim party here said yesterday. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) said its leadership, which is currently in London studying foreign devolution models, will finalise its proposals within two months. The SLMC announcement came after the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) unveiled its first ever blueprint for ending three decades of ethnic bloodshed that has claimed more than 60,000 lives. "There is no proper Muslim representation in the LTTE's proposals, but we are not bothered by that," an SLMC spokesman here said. "We will be making our proposals within two months." The support of Muslims is seen as crucial for the success of any peace deal with Tamils, the island's largest minority. Muslims are the second largest minority, comprising 7.5 percent of the population. The government has a slender two-seat majority in parliament and depends on the support of 12 Muslim legislators. Meanwhile, a landmark power-sharing plan unveiled by Tamil Tiger rebels has left a margin for manoeuvring and raised hopes of ending three decades of ethnic bloodshed in Sri Lanka, politicians and diplomats said yesterday. The Tamil Tigers Saturday announced their first ever blueprint for peace under which they seek a majority in a proposed Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) for the island's war-torn northeast. With the release of an eight-page document outlining its vision of a political settlement, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said it was ending its eight-month boycott of Norwegian-brokered peace talks. European Union ambassadors to Colombo welcomed the LTTE announcement as an "important step forward in the peace process." "The EU Heads of Mission emphasise the linkage between assistance by the international donor community and substantial parallel progress in the peace process," the ambassadors said in a statement. President Chandrika Kumaratunga who is opposed to the cohabitation government's handling of the peace process did not react immediately, but officials said she was meeting with party stalwarts to discuss the proposals.
| 
