January 11, 2006	Wednesday	Zilhaj 10, 1426

COLOMBO, Jan 10: The United States on Tuesday warned Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels that a return to war would cost them dearly. US ambassador to Sri Lanka, Jeffrey Lunstead, told a meeting of businessmen here that Washington wanted the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to stop its ‘violent activities’ and return to peace talks with Colombo.

An upsurge in violence over the past month that has claimed the lives of more than 115 people has raised fears for a truce arranged and put in place by peace broker Norway since Feb 2002.

“If the LTTE chooses to abandon peace, however, we want it to be clear, they will face a stronger, more capable and more determined Sri Lankan military,” Mr Lunstead said. “We want the cost of a return to war to be high.”

He said the US remained committed to the peace process in Sri Lanka, and in helping the legitimate governing bodies of the island to prepare for their roles in developing and protecting their citizens.

“Through our military training and assistance programs, including efforts to help with counter-terrorism initiatives and block illegal financial transactions, we are helping to shape the ability of the Sri Lankan government to protect its people and defend its interest,” he said.

The US, which listed the LTTE as a foreign terrorist organization in Oct 1997, has repeatedly asked the guerillas to give up their military campaign and negotiate a peace deal to end decades of ethnic strife.

“Now you may be asking, why is the American ambassador using such blunt language at a gathering of the business elite,” he said. “It is imperative that the business community become seized with the peace process.

“For the peace and prosperity message to take hold, people need to understand better the prosperity element.”

In a scathing attack on the Tigers, the ambassador said there can be a role for the LTTE only if it returned to the peace negotiating table it left in April 2003 and ‘renounce terrorism in word and deed’.

More than 60,000 people have been killed in Sri Lanka’s drawn-out Tamil separatist campaign led by the LTTE. Norwegian-brokered peace talks remain on hold since April 2003 and diplomatic efforts have failed to revive them.

FREE TRADE: The ambassador warned Colombo against banking on a quick free trade deal to fix its economic woes and urged it to restore peace and open its markets.

“The peace process is paramount,” he said. “As we look at peace and prosperity, we are at a point in the cycle when the furtherance of peace is perhaps the single most important thing that can push Sri Lanka along the path to further prosperity.”

However, he said Colombo’s push for trade concessions and a free trade deal with Washington may not occur because of US domestic concerns.

“The emphasis in Sri Lanka should not be on seeking special trade deals. Firstly I think the chances are slim given the realities of the US Congress,” Mr Lunstead said.

“That is also not the way to go. Sri Lanka should also have an open and dynamic trade regime in all directions. That is the long-range solution to compete in the global market,” he said.

Since the 2004 tsunami, Sri Lanka has been trying to get a foothold on the US ‘Least Developed Country Bill’ that could give local apparel exports duty breaks into its biggest market until 2014.

The US currently accounts for about 55 per cent of Sri Lanka’s 2.4 billion- dollar garment industry, with the European Union a close second.

Sri Lanka has also been talking to the US for a year to sign a free trade agreement.—AFP