Ambassador Bernard Goonetilleke has called upon the international community to fulfill its special responsibility to ensure that terrorist organizations that enter into negotiations stay locked on to them and that such groups eventually make the paradigm shift from armed struggle to political negotiations. The Ambassador identified four ways in which the international community could tangibly help such peace processes – by encouraging Diasporas to persuade terrorist groups to seek negotiated settlements rather than funding armed struggle, monitoring the movement of weapons and personnel in support of such groups, taking action against such organizations when they engage in illegal activities without erroneously believing that doing so would be prejudicial to the peace process, as well as not rewarding such groups in expectation of good behaviour in future, but for tangible progress made in negotiations.

The Ambassador made these observations when he addressed the symposium on “Negotiating with Armed Groups: Sri Lanka and Beyond” held at the Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy on 6 March 2006. Hon. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, MP of the TNA and Prof. Eileen F. Babbitt of the Fletcher School served as discussants while the symposium was moderated by Prof. Adil Najam also of the Fletcher School.

Full text of the Ambassador’s speech

Embassy of Sri Lanka
Washington DC
USA

07 April 2006