One down - how many to go ?

[BertiWooster]

Now that ( after 33 years ) the Sri Lankan governrnent forces have defeated the Tamil tigers - Do you consider that other governments fighting other ' terriosts' groups will see this as a reason not to negotiate with ' terriosts' , because in the end they ( the governmernt ) might win .

Or should Governments talk to 'Terriosts' - afterall there is now probably an end to the IRA conflict .

I use the word ' terriosts' - although one man's terriost is another man's freedom fighter .

Looking at the list below , I didn't realise that there so many groups around the world , fighting for one cause or another .

http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/L ist_of_terrorist_groups/

[jake-the-peg]

For years those fighting in East Timor were rebels or terrorists.

Margaret Thatchers Government sold the Indonesians Hawk aircraft to attack them.

Then they won and Tony Blair went to celebrate their independence as I recall.

Israeliis such as Moshe Dayan fought the British in Israel before becoming Governments.

Then we have South Africa etc. etc.

It's important to distinguish between terrorist organisations who are nationalists fighting with a significant popular mandate such as the above and the Tamil Tigers from those with an idealogical motive and little popular mandate such as the Red brigade Bader Meinhoff and al Qaeda.

In the case of the Tigers, they just lost - they could have won and we'd be signing trade deals with them.

But to the press a terrorist's a terrorist - keep it simple for the TV news - they probably won't remember when we swap sides!