The international community should know a few things about the nature of the peace process in Sri Lanka and the stand taken by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

It is commendable on the part of the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE that a ceasefire initiated in February is holding on well and good, despite attempts on the part of some forces in the country and outside to wreck it.

The ceasefire has provided a stable climate for the return of normalisation in the north and east. Tamils who have been subjected to great deal of oppression and military harassment are beginning to realise the dividends of peace.

Although the actual peace is still long way off, the first round of negotiations between the concerned parties in Thailand has instilled confidence and hope that peace might finally result in the troubled country.

The second round of peace negotiations have already begun in Norway and the third round might possibly take place in Japan.

Conditional offer

Although the LTTE was willing to consider the option of substantial autonomy in place of outright cessation, it was nonetheless a conditional offer.

As argued by its ideologue, Anton Balasingham, if the Sinhala state refuses to allow for the derivation of substantial autonomy, then the LTTE would have no option but to pursue the earlier option of a separate state.

A few days back, LTTE supremo Vellupillai Prabhakaran announced in the heroes day message (Maveraar Nal) that the LTTE would be willing to accept regional autonomy if the Sinhala nation understands and appreciates the fundamental quests of Tamils for a homeland and self-determination.

In other words, what he said was that if the Sinhalese nation refuses to acknowledge the principles of Tamil struggle, then there is real possibility that the LTTE would have to re-invoke the concept of a separate state.

So it is rather important that the international community and the press in particular do not mistake the real intentions of the LTTE.

The pursuit of substantial autonomy was placed on conditional grounds; that is, if the Sinhalese state refuses to accept the need for substantial autonomy for Tamils in the north and east, then the prospect of a war is real.

In other words, contrary to what has been said by some irresponsible elements, the stand taken by Balasingham and Prabhakran are very consistent after the first round of talks in Thailand.

Wrong information

Apparently, the international media, particular publications such as the Asian Wall Street Journal, Far Eastern Economic Review and others close to the United States administration, are going around giving the impression that it was the global war against terror that has compelled the LTTE to dilute its militant stand and eventually opting for the regional autonomy formula.

Nothing can be further from truth. Simply put, LTTE has not abandon its quest for a separate Eelam, what has been suggested is merely a conditional offer. Beyond this, the so-called global war against terror meant merely to impose US hegemony on the world, has hardly made much dent on global terrorism; on the contrary terrorist attacks are on the rise day by day.

All those working to advance the hegemonic interests of the US both directly and indirectly don't really understand the genesis and sustenance of liberation movements in the global arena.

The struggle of Palestinians, Acehnese, Tamils and others would not be vanquished because of the American agenda of global war against terrorism.

Of course, all those corrupt regimes have much to gain from the present war, many of them are sucking up to the United States in one way or another, so that they could obtain some bread crumbs.

The American dominated media can portray whatever image they want, but the real truth is something else. The global war against terror is not so much directed at certain groups, but represents to deepen and enlarge American hegemony worldwide.

The LTTE is the last liberation outfit that is going to be subdued by the nefarious American propaganda and its blatant lies.

Genuine concerns

It is my argument that the timing of ceasefire in Sri Lanka early this year and the subsequent peace talks took place at a time when there was genuine concerns both on the side of the LTTE and the government for some kind of solution to the protracted war.

It had nothing to do with the American inspired global war against terrorism. The latter was merely incidental to the former.

If the LTTE had been intimidated, it would not provide a conditional offer, substantial autonomy or separate state.

The outfit basically controls more than two-thirds of land in the north and east, has established its own police, banking, police and other systems that are quite compatible with the theory of "two-systems but one country".

It has not pursued the other option of interim administration simply because but for all intents and purposes, de facto Eelam exists.

It is rather strange and pathetic that some powerful media persons, vehemently opposed to the LTTE for various reasons, simply cannot stomach the fact that the LTTE has been accepted as an equal by the Sri Lankan government and its reputation continues to soar in the international arena.

So given this, ways and means have to be found to discredit the "terrorist" organisation by seeking to harp on the so-called internal contradictions and speeches of its leaders.

To reiterate, the LTTE is a highly consistent organisation. It has the mandate of the Tamil people in the country to negotiate for permanent peace.

It will not abandon this objective whether there is a global war against terrorism or not. However, whether the present alternative of substantial autonomy will materialise or not will be dependent on the Sinhala nation.

P RAMASAMY is a professor of political economy at the Political Science Department, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and has academic interests in Malaysian politics and labour. His writings are currently focused on conflict management in Sri Lanka.