Sixth Round of Peace Negotiations Continue in Japan-Day 3
The third day of talks centered on the issues of devolution of power, mechanisms of financial disbursements and taxation. These discussions were essentially of a preliminary nature and focused on the concepts. LTTE delegation indicated that it had setup a 20-member political sub-committee which would undertake a tour of the Scandinavian countries before the end of this month in order to gain a deeper understanding of the federal structures in place around the world. Considerable groundwork on this has already been done, however, further negotiations on the issue of devolution power had to wait until this study is concluded. Rest of the discussions considered the expansion of the activities of SIHRN to expedite rehabilitation and reconstruction activities. Agenda for the next round of talks would be finalised at the final sitting tomorrow.
 Japanese special envoy, Mr. Yasushi Akashi met the press earlier today and said that the Sri Lanka Donor Conference would be held in Japan on 9 - 10 June 2003. He further indicated that whilst the donor meeting would consider the rehabilitation needs of the whole of the country, requirements of the north and east would be regarded as a priority. The meeting would be co-chaired by Japan, USA, the European Union and Norway. A preliminary meeting is to be held in Washington, USA on 14 April 2003. It is to be noted that the US authorities are organizing this meeting despite the situation with Iraq. Mr. Akashi again reiterated that demonstrable progress in the peace negotiations and continued commitment to peace were essential pre-requisites for any assistance from the donor conference and the wider international community. He also recognized that the negotiations have now entered a delicate phase with difficult issues having to be resolved. Mr. Yasushi Akashi, indicated that a mobile medical unit would be setup with the assistance of a Japanese NGO, within three weeks, in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Japanese doctors and nurses would participate in this initiative.  Mr. Anton Balasingam thanked Mr. Akashi for his role and the Japanese government for its initiatives in the peace process. He said that the Japanese endeavors have now given the peace process a greater international standing.
20 March 2003
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Europe which has a total population of 800 million is made up of 45 language based nation states. South Asia which has a total population of one billion, (1000 million) is comprised of four states. Who is preventing and therefore benefiting by limiting new nation-states in South Asia?
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