US presence in Sri Lanka possible because of peace
sundayobserver.lk by Karel Roberts Ratnaweera
'I am confident that the attempts at peace in Sri Lanka will continue,'US Ambassador Ashley Wills said at the recent launching of a new $3.5 million USAID/OTI small-grants assistance program under the auspices of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)last Wednesday at Parkway House, Park Street, Colombo 02, the new premises of the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) which will implement the assistance program.
Addressing the media the ambassador said that there have been dramatic developments in Sri Lanka in the last few days,referring to the LTTE's decision to put the ongoing peace talks on hold. He said that there was too much at stake and he wished all Sri Lankans to feel invested in the hopeful process.
Referring to Sri Lanka as 'this lovely country,' Ambassador Wills said that following the ceasefire things looked better for the country but that the wearwithal was needed for the people to feel the benefits of peace. He said 'Sri Lanka has friends who can help us to maintain peace in the country.' He said that private sector institutions will also be called into help implement the proposed special activities over the years.However, the ambassador said that it will take a while to get the programs organised.
Ambassador Wills said that when USAID was set up in the Ceylon of 1956, the situation that prevailed in the island then was just the sort of situation that prevails at present.
He said that there will be two OTI branch offices set up in Trincomalee and Ampara to enable the OTI programs to reach the people in those areas as soon as possible.
The ambassador also said that inter-ethnic and inter-religious cooperation will be part of the programs envisaged, as well as help for groups, advocacy programs, training for journalists and editors. Village leaders will be trained in how to prevent conflict situations and how to deal with such situations should they occur.
Answering a question the ambassador said that when peace is 'signed, sealed and delivered,' in the words of a popular Country and Western song, assistance will be offered to both sides in the conflict. There will also be training for soldiers who are demobbed so that they could help themselves to find jobs for themselves. Development of the South is as important as the North and east and other parts of the country. In fact, the ambassador said that it was essential to work in the South which the Trincomalee and Ampara OTI branches will reach down to.
Ambassador Wills further said that the international community will assist the US in its projects for success for Sri Lanka.
He said that the US presence in Sri Lanka was possible now (not his words), because there is peace now.
The Office of Transition Initiatives was established by USAID in 1994 to provide rapid, flexible transition assistance for projects in nations undergoing crucial periods of change, as in Sri Lanka. USAID/OTI primarily helps local institutions and entities such as NGOs, student groups, the media, both print and electronic,civic organisations and others in order to effectively advance political change. At present, OTI has short-term programs in Afghanistan, Macedonia, Angola, Burundi, Venezuela and some other countries where such programs are a felt need.
OTI is an office in USAID's Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance. Each year, OTI is allocated a specific sum of money by the US Congress for use in its programs worldwide. OTI does not provide for long-term development projects and does not fund the institutional capacity building projects of NGOs or other institutions.However, there is provision for supporting a local organisation that offers an idea for a new, important activity not originally budgeted for in the agreed grant.
Development Alternatives (DAI) is a US company hired by USAID/OTI to manage funds in Sri Lanka and to help with programming and implementing activities.
Senior Advisor, USAID Donald Krumm said that Sri Lanka was exactly the kind of place where the organisation and DAI would want to work in. He said that there is a 'very open mandate' for assisting the government of Sri Lanka. If there is war again,they would have to go away.If the atmosphere in the country at some point in the future is not conducive to peace, the US government may ask USAID/OTI workers to pull out of the island.
Director of the OTI, Justin Sherman was also present along with other directors and local staff.