While an important meeting of the Co-chair countries was taking place in Washington, the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat made a sudden announcement. The announcement was that the government, which has kept the A9 closed for the last 100 days allegedly for security reasons, proposes to permit a one-off aid convoy through the A9 high way.

The opening of the A9 highway is a written undertaking by the Lankan government under the Ceasefire Agreement.

By suddenly closing the A9 highway without complying with the provisions of the CFA and thereby causing a great human tragedy in the Jaffna peninsula, the Sri Lankan government came under a severe criticism by the Tamils and the international community.

The last Geneva peace talks between the government and the LTTE failed as a result of the government’s refusal to re-open the A9 highway and the international community has shown a grave concern over the closure and the human tragedy that has followed.

Recently Rt. Rev. Thomas Saundranayagam, Bishop of Jaffna, made an appeal to the Co-chair countries to pressurize the Lankan government to re-open the A9 highway to save the Tamils from the danger of imminent deaths due to starvation.

It is in the back round of these developments and fearing a censure from the Co-chair countries that the government has made this proposal for a one–off aid convoy to Jaffna.

This proposal is construed as a large minute move to save a censure from the international community. The speculation is that the report of the Co-chair countries at the conclusion of their deliberations will deal with A9 highway, Vahari attack, the military offensive and the recruitment of the child soldiers.

An English translation of the Editorial in Uthayan, a Tamil daily, based in Jaffna

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