We are shedding blood and fighting a deadly struggle with the primary objective of liberating our motherland which is the very foundation of the national existence and economic life of our people. Therefore we cannot permit the foot print of the Sinhala aggressors to remain embedded on our sacred soil. Note the uncompromising belligerence of this declaration, and the references to our homeland , Tamil lands , our motherland , national existence , our people , and our sacred soil. The peacemakers must ask themselves whether all the bana preaching and Hail Marys and grovelling in the world will make the slightest dent in the mindset underlying the declaration. The Recurring Weaknesses Time now to look back soberly on what went wrong.
Common factors emerge from the three peacemaking fiascos and their backgrounds.
Governments have adopted two extreme and opposite approaches - either negotiating in secret, creating suspicions of skullduggery, or going in with much fanfare, creating high expectations of peace, thereby putting pressure on themselves to deliver something, anything. There has been no evidence of well-prepared, professional negotiations, and knowledgeable, tough negotiators on the Sri Lankan side. Peacemakers are ignorant of such basic knowledge as the variety of fake alternatives to Eelam. Among the aliases for Eelam are the Thimpu principles, a settlement based on the principle of equality and dignity for the Tamils , the devolution package, and confederation. On closer examination, these sometimes harmless-sounding terms turn out to be Eelam in sheep s clothing.