ABSTRACT
The Tigers assault on Katunayake was a means of manipulating the pace and direction of the peace process. The need became even more urgent with the United States declaration of the War against Terrorism. Sri Lanka now had a political and military leadership that matched the growing hawkishness of the Tigers. The government still made the customary pronouncements in support of peace talks, but the military option was being considered seriously for the first time in the history of the conflict. The military balance had begun to change even before the ceasefire. The embargo on the flow of goods and travel between the North and the South was to be lifted. The government was to disband paramilitary groups but continue to perform their legitimate task of safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka without engaging in offensive operations against the LTTE.
