The third sesson of peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) (Oslo Communique)

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Country/entity: Sri Lanka
Region: Asia and Pacific
Agreement name: The third sesson of peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) (Oslo Communique)
Date: 5 Dec 2002
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/intrastate conflict
Sri Lankan Civil War (1983 - 2009)
The roots of the Sri Lanka conflict lay in British colonial policy which controlled the island from 1802 until 1948. During the early 1800s, the British brought Tamils from mainland India to work on the various plantations for tea, coffee and rubber, changing Sri Lanka's the demographic make-up. Upon independence, Sinhalese nationalism dominated the political sphere and introduced discriminatory policies against the Tamil minority straining relations and sparking protests. Armed Tamil resistance first came in the form of assassinations of moderate Tamils and opposition politicians in the mid-1970s. However, it was the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's (LTTE) attack on checkpoint Four Four Bravo, which marked the turning point, sparking pogroms against Tamils in Sinhalese majority areas. This incident, known as Black July, is widely considered to the beginning of the civil war.

The first round of peace talks were backed by India, which had deployed the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in 1987, and led to the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka Accord. The Accord was successful in persuading the majority of insurgency groups to lay down arms. However, the strongest Tamil insurgency group, the LTTE, was not party to the talks and refused to disarm, sparking direct conflict between the IPKF and the LTTE until IPKF withdrawal 1990. Following the withdrawal, the LTTE consolidated their power in the North and East sparking another intense and bloody war with the central government that lasted until 2002 when another peace process was launched under the auspices of Norwegian negotiators. The second round of peace talks, however, only continued until April 2003 and in March 2004, a large faction of LTTE cadres split from the main organization damaging LTTE unity. The LTTE were defeated militarily by a large-scale government assault in 2009, however, the conditions for peace remain uncertain.
Stage: Pre-negotiation/process
Conflict nature: Government/territory
Peace process: Sri Lanka LTTE 2002 onward process
Parties: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE); Government of Sri Lanka
Third parties: Royal Government of Norway
Description: Press statement highlights attempts at re-consolidating the ceasefire, giving access to humanitarian aid and that parties re-affirmed the need to help women and children.

Agreement document: LK_021205_Oslo Communique.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Main category: Page 2, The parties acknowledged the need to ensure that the priorities and needs of women are taken into account in all aspects of the peace process. To this effect, they agreed to establish a permanent advisory committee which will, on a regular basis, submit proposals relating to women's interests to the sessions of negotiations and to the sub-committees of the peace process. The committee will consist of four representatives of each party.

Women, girls and gender

Participation: No specific mention.
Equality: No specific mention.
Particular groups of women: No specific mention.
International law: No specific mention.
New institutions: New institutions→Reconciliation and peace
Page 2, Para 8
The parties acknowledged the need to ensure that the priorities and needs of women are taken into account in all aspects of the peace process. To this effect, they agreed to establish a permanent advisory committee which will, on a regular basis, submit proposals relating to women's interests to the sessions of negotiations and to the sub-committees of the peace process. The committee will consist of four representatives of each party.
Violence against women: No specific mention.
Transitional justice: No specific mention.
Institutional reform: No specific mention.
Development: No specific mention.
Implementation: No specific mention.
Other: No specific mention.

PARTIES HAVE DECIDED TO EXPLORE A POLITICAL SOLUTION FOUNDED ON INTERNAL SELF-DETERMINATION

BASED ONA FEDERAL STRUCTURE WITHIN A UNITED SRI LANKA

Oslo, 5 December 2002

Statement of the Royal Norwegian Government

The third session of peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka {GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam {L TTE) was held in Oslo, Norway on 2 to 5 December 2002.

in a frank, open and constructive manner, the parties focused on three major areas:

- Consolidation of the ceasefire

- Humanitarian and rehabilitation action

- Political matters

The parties agreed on a working outline defining the objective as well as a number of substantive political issues tor negotiation.

Responding to a proposal by the leadership of the L TTE, the parties agreed to explore a solution tounded on the principle of internal self-determination in areas of historical habitation of the Tamil-speaking peoples, based ona fed~ral structure within a united Sri Lanka.

The parties acknowledged that the solution has to be acceptable to all communities.

Guided by this objective, the parties agreed to initiate discussions on substantive political issues such as, but not limited to:

- Power-sharing between the centre and the region, as well as within the centre

- Geographical region

- Human Rights protection

- Political and administrative mechanism

- Public finance

- Law and order

The parties recognised that progress on political issues must be supported by the continued consolidation of the Ceasefire Agreement.

New concrete measures will be taken to facilitate further de-escalation and to improve normalcy:

The GOSL will shortly return one of the hotels in Jaffna to its original use

The LTTE will ensure that all future transportation of area commanders will take place under the supervision of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM)

The LTTE will accept the right of political groups to carry out political work, including in the Jaffna peninsula and the islands,

provided that they are unarmed, as stipulated by the Ceasefire Agreement

The GOSL will, in consultation with all relevant parties and groups, evolve a solution to the problems arising from recent developments in the Delft island

The parties will facilitate restoration and rehabilitation of places of worship in the north and the east belonging to all religious communities.

On the basis of their firm conviction that the maintenance of law and order in the north and east is of paramount importance, the parties agreed to request the Sub-Committee on De-escalation and Normalization to propose a common approach to settling cases involving the disputed use of private property, where such use has been impeded by the conflict.

Furthermore, the L TTE will ensure that the activities of their law and order mechanisms will not be extended beyond the areas dominated by the LTTE.

The parties strongly underlined the need to move rapidly on humanitarian and rehabilitation efforts in the north and east.

For this purpose, the early establishment of the North-East Reconstruction Fund will be critical.

The parties agreed that the custodian of the fund should be selected and modalities tor its operation agreed at the next meeting of the Sub-Committee on lmmediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs.

The parties expressed their appreciation of the strong support extended by several governments to the peace process at the Sri Lanka Support Meeting held in Oslo on 25 November, and urged these governments to rapidly release funds needed tor humanitarian and rehabilitation efforts.

The parties acknowledged the need to ensure that the priorities and needs of women are taken into account in all aspects of the peace process.

To this effect, they agreed to establish a permanent advisory committee which will, on a regular basis, submit proposals relating to women's interests to the sessions of negotiations and to the sub-committees of the peace process.

The committee will consist of tour representatives of each party.

As a priority area identified by the parties tor humanitarian action, the parties stressed the need to improve the situation tor children affected by armed conflict.

lnspired by the international norms protecting the rights of the child, the parties underlined that children belong with their families or other custodians and not in the workplace, whether civilian or military.

The L TTE will engage in a partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to draw up an action plan tor restoring normalcy to the lives of children, and the parties called on the international community to provide financial support tor such an action plan.

The GOSL will, in order to arrive at the broadest possible consensus, establish an appropriate mechanism far consultation with all segments of opinion as part of the ongoing peace process.