Selected Texts from the 1994-5 Negotiations Process These pages reproduce excerpts from letters, exchanged between representatives of the Sri Lankan government the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Colombo Mr. V. Pirabhakaran Dear Mr Pirabhakaran Thank you for your letter dated 8 December 1994. We have noted your views regarding peace, the militarization of the ethnic problem and the wellbeing of the Tamil people, with great interest. We wish to assure you of 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 cooperation. 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 1 January 1995, for an initial period of two 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 so 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 ceasefire, before declaring the cessation of hostilities. We suggest that the delegation could go to Jaffna on Wednesday 21 or Thursday 22 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,
Yours sincerely, Text as published in the Sunday Leader, Colombo, 12 May 1996
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