Shattering of Trust-II

The assassination of Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, the highest ranking leader to have been killed since President Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993, has sparked off hectic political activity in the island nation. Considered the single most serious blow to the Ceasefire Agreement signed three years back between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the killing comes a month after the two sides formalised an understanding on a joint tsunami recovery mechanism. While the government was quick to accuse the LTTE of being behind the assassination, the Tamil rebels, for their part, denied any involvement in the attack. However, their track record of not claiming responsibility for killings they have engineered coupled with their fierce opposition to Kadirgamar, a Tamil who opposed their politics, makes the denial less credible.

The incident is but one in a series of ceasefire violations that have been taking place over some time. Kadirgamar's assassination, however, had the potential to snowball into an explosive issue taking the country back to war. While the responsible approach of mainstream political actors coupled with the anti-war sentiment of the majority has managed to stave off the possibility of war for now, the role of the international community in bringing the LTTE back to the table is crucial if the peace process is to continue. The most important task at hand is to resume dialogue between the conflicting parties, ensure strict compliance with the ceasefire agreement in its spirit and letter, and put an absolute end to the use of violence.