India has to play key role in Lankan peace: Expert

Brendan O'Duffy of Queen Mary College in the University of London told a gathering here there were indications the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was prepared to give up its separatist goal and go in for a political settlement with Colombo.

"For any sustained peace process, it seems natural for India to have some kind of a guarantor's role (in Sri Lanka)," said O'Duffy, a senior lecturer in politics at Queen Mary College.

O'Duffy, who specialises in the study of nationalism, ethnic conflict regulation and European politics, said given the unending uncertainties in the Sri Lankan polity as well as in LTTE's attitude, the international community had a role to play.

"The role of India is also vital," he said. "The Indian government has to play a very important role."

He made it clear he was not suggesting that New Delhi should militarily intervene in Sri Lanka as it did in 1987-90, taking on the LTTE in the process and losing nearly 1,200 soldiers.

"Intervention is highly unlikely to be attempted and unlikely to succeed.

"India should play the role as an external facilitator. Such a role will protect its own territorial integrity by protecting the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.

"The role Norway is playing is positive although not as effective as it should be."

O'Duffy was presenting findings of his research on Sri Lanka carried out as part of a project of the Social Science Research Council (US) and the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. The New Delhi-based Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies played host to Tuesday's event.

India played host to Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups in 1983-87 before undertaking its military intervention. It has adopted a hand-off policy vis-à-vis Sri Lanka since the LTTE assassinated former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.

O'Duffy, currently researching peace processes in Northern Ireland, the Middle East and Sri Lanka, said the key question was how the Norwegian-mediated peace process would go ahead in the island nation and what the Tamil Tigers would do since signing a ceasefire agreement with Colombo in February 2002.

"The (LTTE) leadership has been fighting for 20 years. The generational factor is important. They do start to think about life afterwards.