The Norwegian government which facilitates peace between the
Tamil Tiger rebels and the Sri Lankan government said on Friday
that the situation in the country has turned into grave as
escalating violence in breach of the February 2002 cease-fire
agreement.
Norwegian embassy to Sri Lanka issued a statement following the
breakdown of a talks between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) rebels and the government in the Norwegian capital of Oslo
on Thursday.
The Sri Lankan government in a statement issued on Thursday
charged that the LTTE had refused to meet with the government
delegation after arriving at the talks venue.
The two-day meeting was scheduled to discuss the issues
concerning the international truce monitoring group, the Sri Lanka
Monitoring Mission (SLMM).
The Tigers explained later that they had arrived in Oslo only to
discuss with Norway and they had no plan to meet a government
delegation which was not one with ministerial level
representation.
The Tigers had also objected to the presence of individuals from
Sweden, Denmark and Finland, three member nations in the European
Union countries that list the LTTE as a terrorist organization.
The Norwegian government said in the statement that with the
failure of the Oslo meeting, the Norwegian government and the SLMM"
have been seriously hampered in their efforts to find a future
solution for the SLMM and thereby encourage respect for the
cease-fire agreement and its effective monitoring."
The SLMM on May 11 accused the Tigers of paying disrespect for
the security of its members whilst attacking a Sri Lankan Navy ship
carrying troops from east to the north.
The Norwegians said that they wanted the answers from Sri Lankan
President Mahinda Rajapakse and rebel leader Velupillai Prabakaran
five questions which will determine the future of the Norwegian and
SLMM roles in the Sri Lankan conflict.
Over 700 people have so far been killed since the beginning of
December last year in the upsurge of violence. Both sides accuse
each other of carrying out murderous attacks on the other.
(Xinhua News Agency June 10, 2006)
