The Foreign ministers of Sri Lanka and Norway are scheduled to meet in Hong Kong Thursday to discuss Oslo continuing its efforts in brokering peace in the Indian Ocean island, even as the Scandinavian country seeks a new approach by both sides to its role.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store are scheduled to meet during the World Trade Organization’s ministerial meeting in Hong Kong.
The meeting comes amid renewed friction between the two states, with Colombo bristling at the new Norwegian government’s declaration that it expected certain conditions to be met if it was to continue as facilitator.
Colombo expressed ‘concern’ over the remarks made last week by Norwegian International Development Minister Erik Solheim, the Sunday Times said, adding that it would raise the issue with Norway’s ambassador.
Sri Lanka’s new President Mahinda Rajapakse was elected by a substantial majority of Sinhala voters on a hardline position on the peace process that included a vow to review Norway’s role.
But escalating violence in the island’s Northeast, combined with a pointed refusal by India to get involved in brokering an end to the protracted ethnic conflict spurred Rajapakse to call the Norwegians back in.
The LTTE welcomed Colombo’s decision, but Norway has reacted cautiously.
“Our initial reaction is that it’s positive that we’ve been asked to continue our work. This is a vote of confidence,” Solheim said in Oslo.
“But we want to make sure we agree with the government as well as with the LTTE on the conditions before we accept to take on that role again,” he told AFP in Oslo.
There is speculation in Colombo that Norway will seek a better audit trail of communications and, given past accusations of bias, will insist the two parties take the blame for any failures (or successes) of the brokering process.
Political correspondents in Colombo also said Samaraweera was being rushed to Colombo to demand that Solheim, Norway’s Special Envoy to Sri Lanka’s peace process, be replaced in the peace process.
Solheim was appointed as International Development Minister when a new government took charge in Oslo and it is not clear who the next Special Envoy will be.
But he is one of the diplomats with the longest involvement in Olso’s project in Sri Lanka and is known to have the confidence of the LTTE leadership - when former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar demanded Solheim be removed in 2000, the LTTE insisted he remain.
Interestingly, Samaraweera, a close aide of former President Chandrika Kumaratunga – like his predecessor Kadirgamar - has been one of the most strident and public critics of Norway’s role in Sri Lanka, accusing Oslo of being biased towards the LTTE.
He once famously sneered: "Of course we can’t expect anything better from a nation of salmon-eaters who turned into international busybodies."
Indeed, criticism of Norway’s efforts to broker peace in Sri Lanka not only underpinned Rajapakse’s election campaign but was integral to the support of the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Perumana (JVP) and the Buddhist monks party, the Jeyathika Hela Urumaya (JHU).
And Rajapakse snubbed Norway’s congratulations and offer to resume facilitation delivered within hours of his victory being confirmed. Indeed, he avoided any reference to Norway in his victory speech and in is inaugural speech as President talked of getting other international actors such as the United Nations and friendly neighbours – an undisguised reference to India – involved.
However in the wake of Samaraweera’s visit to Delhi earlier this month it has become clear that Delhi does not wish to see Norway’s role in Sri Lanka disrupted.
Meanwhile Japan, Sri Lanka’s biggest aid donor, last week suddenly offered to host future talks, if both sides were agreeable.
The offer, made by Yasushi Akashi, Japan’s peace envoy, pre-empts the customary wrangling about whether talks should be discussed within Sri Lanka (as the new government has insisted) or in a foreign location (as the LTTE has always insisted).
President Rajapaske’s administration has said talks in international venues confer legitimacy on the LTTE, which it considers a terrorist group. However, Sri Lanka’s government is willing to hold discussions in a country in Asia, Akashi was quoted by Bloomberg as saying.
Akashi did not visit the Tigers during his visit and said the Sri Lankan government had told him not to contact them directly.
LTTE media coordinator Daya Master told Reuters that “the Tiger leadership has not decided yet whether to attend peace talks in Japan.”
"After deciding we will inform the facilitators," he added. "Akashi’s message came through the media, but any suggestion should be made through Norway."
Co-chairs of Sri Lanka’s donor community - the US, Japan, Norway and the European Union - will meet in Brussels on December 19 to review the peace process in the island amid an escalation in violence, Akashi said.
"In Brussels we will certainly be engaged in a fundamental analysis of the situation on the prospects of peace in Sri Lanka... We will take stock of the situation and determine the kind of role the co-chairs might be able to play in this situation."
"The deterioration of the situation, the potential danger of a sudden escalation of violence and very delicate state in which the parties are engaged in a comprehensive review, I think the co-chairs are paying a lot of attention as to what is happening and what could happen in Sri Lanka," Akashi said.
Asked on the possibility of India serving as a partner to the donor co-chairs, Akashi said that the question did not arise "based on the historical fact that the four co-chairs chaired the Tokyo conference on the reconstruction and development of Sri Lanka in June 2003."
"The four co-chairs are the four co-chairs. But we would very much like to engage in continuous and substantive discussions and exchange of views with the government of India, which obviously carries a very considerable influence in this region,” Akashi, who will attend the Brussels meeting on behalf of Japan, said. “We have been thinking and talking with India how best we could deal with each other."
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store are scheduled to meet during the World Trade Organization’s ministerial meeting in Hong Kong.
The meeting comes amid renewed friction between the two states, with Colombo bristling at the new Norwegian government’s declaration that it expected certain conditions to be met if it was to continue as facilitator.
Colombo expressed ‘concern’ over the remarks made last week by Norwegian International Development Minister Erik Solheim, the Sunday Times said, adding that it would raise the issue with Norway’s ambassador.
Sri Lanka’s new President Mahinda Rajapakse was elected by a substantial majority of Sinhala voters on a hardline position on the peace process that included a vow to review Norway’s role.
But escalating violence in the island’s Northeast, combined with a pointed refusal by India to get involved in brokering an end to the protracted ethnic conflict spurred Rajapakse to call the Norwegians back in.
The LTTE welcomed Colombo’s decision, but Norway has reacted cautiously.
“Our initial reaction is that it’s positive that we’ve been asked to continue our work. This is a vote of confidence,” Solheim said in Oslo.
“But we want to make sure we agree with the government as well as with the LTTE on the conditions before we accept to take on that role again,” he told AFP in Oslo.
There is speculation in Colombo that Norway will seek a better audit trail of communications and, given past accusations of bias, will insist the two parties take the blame for any failures (or successes) of the brokering process.
Political correspondents in Colombo also said Samaraweera was being rushed to Colombo to demand that Solheim, Norway’s Special Envoy to Sri Lanka’s peace process, be replaced in the peace process.
Solheim was appointed as International Development Minister when a new government took charge in Oslo and it is not clear who the next Special Envoy will be.
But he is one of the diplomats with the longest involvement in Olso’s project in Sri Lanka and is known to have the confidence of the LTTE leadership - when former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar demanded Solheim be removed in 2000, the LTTE insisted he remain.
Interestingly, Samaraweera, a close aide of former President Chandrika Kumaratunga – like his predecessor Kadirgamar - has been one of the most strident and public critics of Norway’s role in Sri Lanka, accusing Oslo of being biased towards the LTTE.
He once famously sneered: "Of course we can’t expect anything better from a nation of salmon-eaters who turned into international busybodies."
Indeed, criticism of Norway’s efforts to broker peace in Sri Lanka not only underpinned Rajapakse’s election campaign but was integral to the support of the Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Perumana (JVP) and the Buddhist monks party, the Jeyathika Hela Urumaya (JHU).
And Rajapakse snubbed Norway’s congratulations and offer to resume facilitation delivered within hours of his victory being confirmed. Indeed, he avoided any reference to Norway in his victory speech and in is inaugural speech as President talked of getting other international actors such as the United Nations and friendly neighbours – an undisguised reference to India – involved.
However in the wake of Samaraweera’s visit to Delhi earlier this month it has become clear that Delhi does not wish to see Norway’s role in Sri Lanka disrupted.
Meanwhile Japan, Sri Lanka’s biggest aid donor, last week suddenly offered to host future talks, if both sides were agreeable.
The offer, made by Yasushi Akashi, Japan’s peace envoy, pre-empts the customary wrangling about whether talks should be discussed within Sri Lanka (as the new government has insisted) or in a foreign location (as the LTTE has always insisted).
President Rajapaske’s administration has said talks in international venues confer legitimacy on the LTTE, which it considers a terrorist group. However, Sri Lanka’s government is willing to hold discussions in a country in Asia, Akashi was quoted by Bloomberg as saying.
Akashi did not visit the Tigers during his visit and said the Sri Lankan government had told him not to contact them directly.
LTTE media coordinator Daya Master told Reuters that “the Tiger leadership has not decided yet whether to attend peace talks in Japan.”
"After deciding we will inform the facilitators," he added. "Akashi’s message came through the media, but any suggestion should be made through Norway."
Co-chairs of Sri Lanka’s donor community - the US, Japan, Norway and the European Union - will meet in Brussels on December 19 to review the peace process in the island amid an escalation in violence, Akashi said.
"In Brussels we will certainly be engaged in a fundamental analysis of the situation on the prospects of peace in Sri Lanka... We will take stock of the situation and determine the kind of role the co-chairs might be able to play in this situation."
"The deterioration of the situation, the potential danger of a sudden escalation of violence and very delicate state in which the parties are engaged in a comprehensive review, I think the co-chairs are paying a lot of attention as to what is happening and what could happen in Sri Lanka," Akashi said.
Asked on the possibility of India serving as a partner to the donor co-chairs, Akashi said that the question did not arise "based on the historical fact that the four co-chairs chaired the Tokyo conference on the reconstruction and development of Sri Lanka in June 2003."
"The four co-chairs are the four co-chairs. But we would very much like to engage in continuous and substantive discussions and exchange of views with the government of India, which obviously carries a very considerable influence in this region,” Akashi, who will attend the Brussels meeting on behalf of Japan, said. “We have been thinking and talking with India how best we could deal with each other."
