US warns of Sri Lankan violence

(August 22, 2009) A senior US diplomat has warned that the Sri Lankan government's failure to share power with the minority Tamils could lead to renewed violence. Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake told the BBC a delay in devolving powers might create new opportunities for the rebel Tamil Tigers to regroup. Sri Lanka's government declared victory over the Tamil Tigers in May. Blake also urged Colombo to resettle swiftly the hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians displaced by the war. This would have a bearing on US aid for reconstruction and resettlement, he said. The warning by the US assistant secretary of state is a clear sign that Western nations are getting increasingly frustrated with the delay in the political reconciliation process in Sri Lanka. There was optimism that the end of the conflict between the majority Sinhalese-led government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) would pave the way for a power sharing agreement with the minority Tamils. But the Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, recently said any political solution could come only after his re-election, which may happen next year.