President's place in history will be judged not by what he says, but by what he does...!!!

Needed : A Post-conflict partnership with Sri Lanka.......by David L. Phillips

Many Sri Lankans are still jubilant from defeating the Tamil Tigers, a heinous terror group that caused immeasurable suffering during its violent 30 year struggle for an independent Tamil homeland in northern Sri Lanka. President Mahinda Rajapaksa showed leadership and resolve in crushing the Tigers. Now he must be just as resolute in healing the wounds of war that affect Tamil and Sinhalese alike. Relief, recovery and reconciliation are daunting tasks that the Government of Sri Lanka need not undertake on its own. Building on this week’s visit by a delegation of retired diplomats led by former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, the United Nations Secretary General should appoint a Special Coordinator for Post-Conflict Issues to strengthen the partnership between Sri Lanka and the international community.

The Coordinator’s primary mandate would be to mobilize foreign aid and build national capacity. Complementing efforts by the United States, the European Union, Japan and Norway - co-chairs of the so-called Friends of Sri Lanka - the Coordinator would act as Colombo’s partisan with the international community making sure that pledges are deposited and commitments renewed.

Beyond the current humanitarian emergency, the Coordinator would work with the Sri Lankan government to accelerate early recovery and facilitate the transition from relief to development. To complement aid with trade, the Coordinator would encourage expansion of Sri Lanka’s nascent manufacturing, agricultural and other industries. In addition to international investment and risk insurance, making sure that countries open their markets to Sri Lanka products would also stimulate trade.

A comprehensive approach to human development must involve the entire Sri Lankan government working in tandem with the international community. To these end, the Coordinator can make sure that the World Bank and UN country team are at full throttle assisting the Government of Sri Lanka. The government should not be wary of the UN’s involvement, as it has in the past. The UN is both benign and best placed to mobilize international expertise for a national recovery plan encompassing a broad range of activities from micro-credit to public health.

President Rajapaksa has pledged to address the root causes of conflict. He understands that Tamil grievances are more than material. To his credit, he has repeatedly recognized the legitimate hopes of Tamils for greater political and cultural rights.

With elections upcoming, President Rajapaksa, is saying all the right things. However, his place in history will be judged not by what he says, but by what he does.

Political reconciliation will be determined by President Rajapaksa’s ability to further the aspirations of Tamils, as well as other Sri Lankans. To help him deliver, the Coordinator’s mandate should go beyond relief and early recovery to include political issues. The Coordinator should work with the government to encourage the protection and promotion of minority rights in accordance with international standards, as well as constitutional reform enabling decentralization and power-sharing.

There is a moment in every post-conflict situation when national and international forces are aligned in common purpose to promote conditions for sustainable peace. For President Rajapaksa, that moment is now.

He must not squander the goodwill emanating from his victory over the Tamil Tigers. The international community, which generously supports Sri Lanka, does not dispute the ruthlessness of the Tamil Tigers. But questions linger about the military’s final push when as many as 10,000 civilians may have died. Limits on humanitarian access and measures barring journalists and human rights groups have aggravated tensions. As a gesture of their concern, several countries - including the United States and the United Kingdom - abstained on the recent IMF vote to provide $2.8 billion to Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankans are raw from decades of conflict. A peace and reconciliation process can help heal their wounds. Without one, President Rajapaksa will face a growing international clamour for an investigation into civilian casualties. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court may act if the government does not.

Sri Lankans are increasingly concerned by the slow pace of reintegrating 280,000 Tamils who languish in camps for the displaced. The government must balance the need to make sure that Tamil Tiger fighters are not hiding among the displaced with the need for an efficient screening process. Delays cause inordinate suffering and are inconsistent with the humanitarian nature of Sri Lanka’s Buddhist majority.

No doubt the government was right to disarm the Tamil Tigers through military action. But all Tamil’s cannot be held responsible for crimes committed by Velupillai Prabhakaran, ex-head of the Tamil Tigers. Measures are still needed to reintegrate rank-and-file into civil society so they can participate in the peacebuilding process.

The Friends of Sri Lanka can play a pivotal role. President Rajapaksa should also take steps to strengthen Sri Lanka’s partnership with India, which is critical to mobilizing support in the region and beyond.

Why appoint a Special Coordinator for Post-Conflict Issues? Colombo-based ambassadors are already exchanging information and working together. However, donor countries have a notoriously short attention span. As part of a resource acquisition strategy, the Coordinator would play an indispensible role enhancing current efforts and sustaining activities that will require assistance long after the next international crisis comes along.

President Rajapaksa may also find it expedient to highlight the Coordinator’s role when he moves forward with political reforms. Rather than a risk to Sri Lanka’s sovereignty, the Coordinator will be an invaluable asset deepening international assistance for relief, recovery, and reconciliation.

Designating a Coordinator would be a win-win not only for Sri Lanka, but also for the international system. Secretary General Ban ki-Moon was criticized for not doing enough during the conflict. He can give definition to his "new multilateralism" by focusing the UN on Sri-Lanka’s post-conflict requirements. It would also help focus the UN’s nascent Peacebuilding Support Unit. There are many cases, for example southern Sudan, where a UN Special Coordinator for Post-Conflict Issues would have been invaluable.

While President Rajapaksa may have won a great victory on the battlefield, a UN Special Coordinator for Post-Conflict Issues can help Sri Lanka win the peace while demonstrating the benefits to international cooperation aimed at eradicating the root causes of extremism.

(David L. Phillips is Director of the Program on Conflict Prevention and Peace-building at American University in Washington, DC and a Visiting Scholar at Columbia University)



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