Peace envoys aim for breakthrough

Rashomi Silva

COLOMBO: Norwegian special peace envoy Jon Hanssen Bauer and his predecessor Erik Solheim will be here today to prepare for the upcoming Co-Chairs meeting, Norwegian Embassy said yesterday.

"The envoys are here to prepare for the Co-Chairs meeting scheduled for end of this month in Tokyo," embassy spokesperson Eric Nurnberg told the Daily News.

The Co-Chairs comprise the US, European Union, Norway and Japan. The US has banned the LTTE as an international terrorist organisation and the European Union has agreed in principle to ban the LTTE.

The Government however was of the view that the EU ban on the LTTE would not affect the peace process adversely. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), which consists of members of Scandinavian countries stressed that the EU agreement would not affect their monitoring activities.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior Government officials said the SLMM member are not representatives of their respective countries but are citizens of those countries seconded by their Governments for the SLMM in Sri Lanka. Asked if the envoys would try to achieve a breakthrough in the talks stalemate, Nurnberg said making a breakthrough is up to the negotiating sides.

"It is not for us to achieve a breakthrough," He said. "We can only facilitate the peace process and provide logistical support, but it is upto the Government and the LTTE to strive for a breakthrough," he added. Meanwhile, the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) said the envoys are likely to engage in consultations with the Government and the SCOPP, before the major event.

"The envoys are here to prepare themselves for the two day donor meeting," said SCOPP Deputy Kethesh Loganathan.

Commenting on the donor meeting he said it is an opportunity for the Co-Chairs to evaluate the performance of the Government and the LTTE, in which the Government takes no part. When asked if the Government was planning to raise specific issues with the envoys, he answered in the affirmative, but declined to elaborate further.