Author: AP
Publication: The New Indian Express
Date:
An influential Muslim political
party on Tuesday demanded the right to partially govern Muslim-dominated
areas in Sri Lanka's civil-war-wracked northeast -- further complicating
a fragile peace pact between the government and Tamil rebels.
About 1.3 million of Sri Lanka's
18.6 million people are Muslim. They live mainly in the north and east
of the country, the same areas where predominantly Hindu Tamil insurgents
waged a 19-year battle for independence from the rest of the country, which
is mostly Buddhist.
Peace talks between the government
and the Tamil rebels broke down in April with the insurgents complaining
that the authorities were not doing enough to resettle thousands of Tamils
displaced by the war.
Since then, the guerrillas have
refused to re-enter peace talks until they are given political, financial
and administrative powers in the northeast. Government proposals offering
the Tamils' limited administrative powers have been rejected.
Government officials, speaking on
condition of anonymity, say they are working on a new proposal to present
to the rebels, but the demands by Muslim politicians have caused delays.
The Muslim Congress party, which
is part of the ruling coalition, said it wants substantial powers to rule
in Muslim-dominated areas.
"We are prepared to share power
with the Tamils but we will not be dominated by them. No way," the party's
leader Rauf Hakeem said. "There has to be safeguards that will ensure substantial
autonomy in Muslim-dominated areas."
Hakeem, who is also a Cabinet minister,
said he met with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday to discuss
the matter. He said Wickremesinghe gave him permission to negotiate directly
with the rebels about sharing power.
"It's a joke for the Muslims to
be ruled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam when they don't have the
mandate to do so," he said.