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Norweigian delegation meets with LTTE

A delegation headed by Norwegian deputy foreign minister Mr. Vidar Helgesen and including Norway's Sri Lankan envoy Mr. John Westbourg met with Mr. Anton Balasingam and Mr. S. P. Tamilselvan at the LTTE Political Secretariat office in Killinochchi.

Immediately prior to this meeting, Mr. Vidar Helgesan and his team were warmly welcomed at Jeyanthi Nagar in Killinochchi. Mr. Helgesen then laid the foundation stone for the new building for women's mental health facility, Vettrimanai.

The meeting between the Norwegian delegation and LTTE was dominated by the recent atrocity committed by the Sri Lanka Navy and its implications for the next round of peace talks to be held in Japan. Mr. Anton Balasingam, later, commented on the discussions with the Norwegian deputy foreign minister.

"The Norwegian delegation advised us that boycotting the peace talks in Japan could have adverse consequences at this stage and that recent events needed high level discussions between the parties and should be resolved so that they do not recur. We will discuss the whole issue including the thoughts of the Norwegian delegation with our leader, Mr. Pirapaharan, and we expect that he ask us to attend the next round of negotiations."

In response to questions regarding the increasing incidence of civilian harassment by the Sri Lanka security forces in Vavuniya and the Jaffna peninsula, Mr. Balasingam hinted that the recall of all LTTE cadres to Vanni following the recent naval incident has heightened the fear and agitation amongst the Sri Lanka security forces. Hence "we are not surprised that these incidents have increased and we have taken it up with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and the visiting Norwegian delegation."

Mr. Balasingam also put it on record that whilst Sri Lanka government continues to acquire arms and strengthen its security forces the LTTE has a right to do the same and is the only way to maintain the status quo. He also pointed out that maintenance of the military status quo was a tenet of the ceasefire agreement and an imbalance would destroy the ceasefire. "The lack of well defined agreements governing naval movements has been a problem with the ceasefire agreement over the last 12 months and the Sri Lanka Navy has taken advantage of this inadequacy and has engaged in numerous provocative activities with the latest atrocity threatening the whole peace process."

14 March 2003

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