Different messenger, same message

Editorial-May 4, 2015, 8:20 pm 

A good diplomat is said to be capable of telling you to go to hell in such a way that you really look forward to the trip. US Secretary of State John Kerry was at his diplomatic best on Saturday, when he delivered a strong message in Colombo.

Kerry made it clear that the US wanted the Sri Lankan military prevented from carrying out constabulary duties and confined to tasks such as protecting sea lanes, UN peacekeeping operations etc. He said: "None of us wants to live in a country where the military is stopping its own citizens at checkpoints. And Sri Lanka’s military has so much more to contribute in defending this country, protecting vital sea lanes, and taking part in UN peacekeeping missions all over the world."

It was quite ironical that Kerry happened to extol the virtues of reconciliation by quoting the late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, who said: "We have to live in Sri Lanka as Sri Lankans, tolerating all races and religions." The Secretary of State, however, left something unsaid; Kadirgamar had fearlessly stood up to the LTTE and advocated military action against it to bring about peace while several powerful countries including the US called for negotiations with Prabhakaran. In 2005, the so-called Tokyo Co-chairs including the US went so far as to pressure the then government to stick to a fragile ceasefire in spite of the assassination by the LTTE of Kadirgamar!

Those who were wondering why the US had evinced so keen an interest in this small country may have found an answer in an observation Kerry made in his speech: "[Sri Lanka] sits at the crossroads of Africa, South Asia, and East Asia. And for centuries, it’s served as a gateway for merchant ships. The Indian Ocean is the world’s most important commercial highway. Today, 40 percent of all seaborne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz and half of the world’s merchant fleet capacity sails through the Straits of Malacca. And with its strategic location near deep-water ports in India and Myanmar, Sri Lanka could serve as the fulcrum of a modern and dynamic Indo-Pacific region." The Rajapaksa government allowed China to have a heavy presence in this strategically important region much to the consternation of the western powers and the price it had to pay was heavy.

Kerry related a truly inspiring story of a former LTTE child combatant, Karthika, helped by USAID to rebuild her life. The US deserves the credit for what it has done for her and presumably others in the same predicament as she. But, the question is whether anyone would have been able to help those unfortunate children of war unless the LTTE had been defeated militarily. If Sri Lanka had stuck to the ceasefire agreement in keeping with the diktats of the US, the EU, Norway etc and continued to appease Prabhakaran thousands of children like Karthika would still have been in the clutches of the LTTE; the US would not have been in a position to call for the demilitarisation of the North and the East. Sadly, Kerry did not highlight the benefits that had accrued to Sri Lanka from its war which effectively neutralised the LTTE. This country is free from terrorism and attendant problems such as forcible child conscription, massacres, bomb blasts and political assassinations because the remedies prescribed by other countries were not adopted and terrorism was defeated.

The US Secretary of State said that the problems of Sri Lanka were ‘clearly going to be solved by Sri Lankans’. "That’s the way it ought to be, but it’s also the only way it’s going to work. And you wouldn’t have it any other way … I know you have your own plan and your own notions about what is necessary and by no means whatsoever do we intend to try to usurp that or evade that or dismiss that." Having said so, he added in the same breath that ‘but we also know that, in today’s world, everyone and everything is connected’. The US was willing to help if there were steps it could take, he said, stressing that ‘it is so critical for your government to work with the ICRC and the UN in order to investigate missing person cases and try wherever you can …" He said what the US wanted Sri Lanka to do: "… we hope your government will continue to cooperate with the United Nations as it explores the best way to mount a credible domestic investigation into allegations of human rights abuses – an investigation that meets international standards …"

While praising the present government for the recent constitutional amendment etc Kerry reminded it that the US wanted it to devolve more powers. "But hard work remains, my friends, including devolving power to the provinces." Kerry reiterated the US position very diplomatically. It was a case of the same message being delivered by a different messenger.