ABSTRACT
One of the salient features of the Sri Lankan conflict, the violent confrontation between the majority Sinhalese and the Tamils, is its parallel journey of efforts aimed at conflict resolution. Since the early days of independence, where the differences between the two communities were taking a sharp turn towards escalation, the protagonists were periodically engaged in negotiations and even managed to sign several agreements to amicably resolve the conflict, only to return to the old paradigms. Finally, in February 2002 the United National Party government – headed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe – and the LTTE signed a ceasefire agreement to kick-start a fresh peace process with the hope, primarily among the people of the country, of finding a lasting peace. Unfortunately however, the process collapsed, leading the country back into a condition of intense violence and war.
