Pro-LTTE Norway, with only 2% public approval, is called back to negotiate peace in Sri Lanka

Colombo, 08 December, (Asiantribune.com): President Mahinda Rajapakse has caved into international pressure and asked Norway to continue as the "facilitator" in arranging peace talks with the LTTE. The President has asked Ambassador Hans Brattskar to resume their former role.

This contradicts the election pledge given by him to remove Norway from the peace process. One of the key issues on which the JVP and the JHU joined in the election campaign was on keeping Norway out of Sri Lankan internal affairs.

President Rajapakse made this u-turn after meeting the envoys of Co-chairs -- USA, Norway, Japan, and EU.

Commenting on this new development Erik Solheim told AFP: "Our initial reaction is that it is positive that we have been asked to continue our work. This is a vote of confidence." Erik Solheim, Norway's Minister of International Development, 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 .

Ranjith Soysa, of the Society for Peace Unity and Human Rights, said that this is nothing new for Norway because they have been laying down conditions for the Sri Lankan governments’ form the time they were asked to be the "facilitator".

He added: "Instead of Norway laying down conditions for the Sri Lankan government it is the government that should lay down conditions for Norway. One of the first conditions should be that Norway should not play its partisan role in funding and providing aid for the LTTE to carry out its crimes against humanity and war crimes with impunity. Norway which pretends to be the solution has become the problem. Public opinion is against Norway as seen in a recent survey. Norway came last with only 2 per cent approval of the Sri Lankan public."

Norway has come in for severe criticism mainly because of its partisan approach to the peace process. First, it began on the wrong foot by assuming that peace negotiations should only be with the LTTE leaving out other key communities like the Muslims and dissident Tamil parties. Second, Norway has been accused of financing the LTTE activities. New Times (Ny Tyd) reported last week that Norway government has bankrolled the LTTE, in the name of promoting peace. Ny Tid reported that LTTE was handed out 25 million kroners since 2002.

- Asian Tribune -

(http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=16367)