|
Sarvodaya
Announces Peace Initiatives |
|
|
February 2, 2006,
Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
The recent agreement to return to peace talks is welcome. However,
this brings two stalemated parties together. Without willingness to
compromise, and without the necessary trust, little may come from
these talks. We expect that these talks will result in a return to
the Cease Fire Agreement. This in itself is not peace, however a
cease-fire permits the exchange of ideas between north and south. We
hope that these talks will result in meaningful movement toward a
negotiated solution. We also recognize that it is the people who are
ultimately responsible for creating peace. If the political
leadership cannot or will not resolve the conflict, the people must
play the lead role in reaching a permanent resolution to the
conflict.
|
|
Today Sarvodaya hosted a forum for 96 community leaders from throughout
Sri Lanka, from Jaffna to Hambantota, and representing Sinhala, Tamil,
and Muslim communities. This forum proposed a series of actions to be
taken to move toward a lasting peace, and they asked for Sarvodaya to
take the lead in this process.
For 48 years, Sarvodaya has worked in communities throughout Sri Lanka
to alleviate the causes of conflict. Sarvodaya is uniquely positioned to
act as an “advocate of the whole,” and to facilitate the process of
identifying common ground on which a settlement can be built. Sarvodaya
therefore announces the commencement of an Initiative for a People’s
Constitution, which will begin concurrently with the Geneva peace talks.
This initiative will address three goals: |
"our
common identity should encompass four basic values that we
believe all Sri Lankans can embrace: nonviolence,
multi-ethnic character, elimination of poverty, and deep
devolution of power" |
1. To move beyond the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) to a permanent end to
the war.
2. To identify an acceptable political framework that devolves power to
the most local level.
3. To forge a common national identity that transcends ethnic or
religious identity, and recognizes Sri Lanka’s multi-ethnic,
multi-religious character; to create a sense of “one nation, many
cultures.”
We suggest that our common identity should encompass four basic values
that we believe all Sri Lankans can embrace: nonviolence, multi-ethnic
character, elimination of poverty, and deep devolution of power and
structural change.
In support of February as a “Month of Peace,” Sarvodaya has scheduled
several key activities. From February 16 through 19, Sarvodaya will host
a Peace Camp for 500 youths in Trincomolee, including Sinhala, Tamil and
Muslim youths from various parts of the country.
On February 18, Sarvodaya will convene a Peace March and Meditation in
Trincomolee that will include 10,000 participants.
On February 22, Sarvodaya asks all Sri Lankans to join in “Lighting a
Lamp for Peace” by keeping a lamp burning from 6:00 am until 6:00pm.
Sarvodaya will continue its peace activities throughout the year.
Several major events are planned.
On October 2, 2006, on Mahatma Gandhi Day, Sarvodaya in partnership with
Alliance for New Humanity will convene a Spiritual Gathering for
Universal Peace in Anuradhapura that will include one million
participants.
On December 2, 2006, Sarvodaya will convene a People’s Constitutional
Convention in order to seek a jointly-achieved political solution to the
conflict.
Sarvodaya believes that the conflict requires more than a political
solution. We must also address cultural and consciousness causes of the
war. We support the Government and the LTTE in coming to a political
solution, however we also recognize that the people must play a role in
a comprehensive settlement leading to lasting peace." |
|
|
|
|
