12-07-2005, 08:02 PM
<b>Not So Fast </b>
7 December 2005 18:56 hours
OSLO, Dec 7 (AFP) - Norway's government on Wednesday said it would agree to a Sri Lankan request to relaunch its bid to broker peace between Colombo and Tamil Tiger rebels, but only if certain conditions were met.
"Our initial reaction is that it is positive that we have been asked to continue our work. This is a vote of confidence," said Erik Solheim, Norway's minister of international development, who has been involved in mediation in the Sri Lankan conflict for more than five years.
"But we want to make sure we agree with the government as well as with the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) on the conditions before we accept to take on that role again," he told AFP.
Solheim's remarks come after Sri Lanka's new President Mahinda Rajapakse on Wednesday asked Norway to keep trying to broker peace with the rebels despite an election vow to review Oslo's role.
The president told Norway's ambassador Hans Brattskar to keep up the effort even though two key allies of the government had earlier insisted that Norway should be expelled from the peace process.
Rajapakse's main Marxist backer, the JVP, or People's Liberation Front, and the nationalist all-Buddhist monks' party JHU, had demanded that Norway be expelled as peace broker after accusing it of siding with the rebels.
Solheim on Wednesday refused to elaborate on which conditions needed to be met before Norway would again agree to wear the mediator cap in the crisis.
"This is something that we will discuss with the different parties, and not through the media," he said.
One problem facing Norway if it does agree to return to the negotiating table is a recent flare-up in violence.
In the past week alone at least 26 people have died in clashes, including 14 soldiers killed when two mines thought to have been planted by the rebels exploded. The LTTE has denied having anything to do with that attack.
"This is a very serious development, and the parties will need to find a means to stop the violence," Solheim said. - AFP
7 December 2005 18:56 hours
OSLO, Dec 7 (AFP) - Norway's government on Wednesday said it would agree to a Sri Lankan request to relaunch its bid to broker peace between Colombo and Tamil Tiger rebels, but only if certain conditions were met.
"Our initial reaction is that it is positive that we have been asked to continue our work. This is a vote of confidence," said Erik Solheim, Norway's minister of international development, who has been involved in mediation in the Sri Lankan conflict for more than five years.
"But we want to make sure we agree with the government as well as with the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) on the conditions before we accept to take on that role again," he told AFP.
Solheim's remarks come after Sri Lanka's new President Mahinda Rajapakse on Wednesday asked Norway to keep trying to broker peace with the rebels despite an election vow to review Oslo's role.
The president told Norway's ambassador Hans Brattskar to keep up the effort even though two key allies of the government had earlier insisted that Norway should be expelled from the peace process.
Rajapakse's main Marxist backer, the JVP, or People's Liberation Front, and the nationalist all-Buddhist monks' party JHU, had demanded that Norway be expelled as peace broker after accusing it of siding with the rebels.
Solheim on Wednesday refused to elaborate on which conditions needed to be met before Norway would again agree to wear the mediator cap in the crisis.
"This is something that we will discuss with the different parties, and not through the media," he said.
One problem facing Norway if it does agree to return to the negotiating table is a recent flare-up in violence.
In the past week alone at least 26 people have died in clashes, including 14 soldiers killed when two mines thought to have been planted by the rebels exploded. The LTTE has denied having anything to do with that attack.
"This is a very serious development, and the parties will need to find a means to stop the violence," Solheim said. - AFP
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