Two main factors have contributed to this – changed domestic political and economic circumstances, and the overarching influence of United States President George Bush’s ‘war’ against terror.
A norwegian-brokered ‘permanent’ ceasefire was agreed in February between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the right-of-centre United National Front (UNF) government led by Ranil Wickremesinghe, elected a year ago. This laid the groundwork for the first direct peace talks in seven years, which took place in mid-September in Thailand.
