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Norwegian Media Report on LTTE visit

Top meeting with the Tigers

While the peace process in Sri Lanka is on hold, the political top leader of the Tamil Tigers visited Tromso to build a network. May be Tromso will have a new friendship town. Yesterday evening the leader of the Tigers met parts of the political leadership in Tromso. The Group leader of Socialist Left-party, Jens Revold, met the leader of the Political Wing of the LTTE, Mr. S.P. Tamilselvan, to discuss the possibility of Tromso becoming a friendship town with the largest Tamil city in Sri Lanka, Jaffna.

Government says, "It is interesting. But a precondition is that the government pays for any eventual costs. We have received signals from Minister of Development aid Hilde Frafjord Johnsen that it may be possible", Revold argues. He underlines that it will not be possible for the local council to cover the costs for another friendship town. And the Tamils need friends. The Norwegian facilitated negotiations are at a stand still after a disagreement between the President and the Prime Minister rising last falls. The Tamil delegation is now trying to make progress for its country in other ways. Yesterday they discussed co-operation with Tromso on both health and fishery industrial issues.

"We have a special agenda with this visit. Even after two years with the ceasefire agreement the people in the north and east have not regained their livelihood. This must be done now", Mr. Tamilselvan says. The Norwegian College on Fishery Science has formerly been involved in projects in Sri Lanka. Jens Revold has been active in a number of international fishery projects, and welcomes a resumption of this work. "But can anybody guarantee the safety of the researchers if they go there?" "We shall of course evaluate these aspects, but the political will and support is there", Tamilselvan says. The Tamils also hope for assistance from Tromso in creating their own Peace Center in Sri Lanka. Ole D. Mjos hope to be able to take part in this.

"We are interested in this case and hope to be able to contribute. A Peace Center must be for the whole nation and for all parties, Mjos underlines. Center for International Health has on behalf of UN, University of Tromso and the College in Tromso applied for 560.000 Kroner from Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support a project outlining an extensive co-operation with Eastern University in Sri Lanka. The aim is to develop a Faculty of Medicine at the university. "Putting emphasis on health also contributes to creating peace. We are working on this now, but cannot continue without funding. But we have now received positive signals, Solveig Wiesner argues. Erik Giecksky at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that it is important to support projects that may contribute to a continued progress in the peace process in Sri Lanka. "The peace process is progressing and the ceasefire is respected. To us it is important that aid is directed at projects, which are positive to the progress of the peace process."

01 February 2004

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