Norway last week urged India to play a more proactive role in the Sri Lankan conflict by mediating between the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and said it stands ready to fully support such an initiative.
However Sri Lanka dismissed any Norwegian involvement in future peace efforts and said it will not issue a special invitation to its ‘big brother’ to play the role of mediator.
Speaking to Indian media on the sidelines of a Conference on Peace and Reconciliation in South Asia, organised in Oslo by Art of Living Foundation of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Norway's special envoy to Colombo Jon Hanssen-Bauer said that India was to be the "main partner" for Sri Lanka in the future, and that Oslo was in regular touch with New Delhi over the issue of peace process in its neighbouring country.
India will play the "most decisive" role in the peace process in Sri Lanka being the "best-placed regional power" to help the island nation, Baur said.
The top Norwegian diplomat, who was appointed the special envoy in 2006, said: "India is the main neighbour to Sri Lanka and they are always taking a keen interest in helping Sri Lanka. I think India will play the most decisive role in the peace process,"
"India is Sri Lanka's big trade partner, it is also a political partner for a long time and they (India) would be the best-placed regional power to actually help Sri Lanka in the best way,"
Stressing that Norway was having "very open communications" with India on the ethnic strife in Sri Lanka, the envoy said: "We are consulting with them very frequently because we think India has a lot of good advice to give."
Norwegian peace role
Bauer also insisted it is still not the end of the road for the Norwegian’s as facilitators to the conflict and says they will resume their mediation if an invitation is extended by the parties in Sri Lanka.
Norway brokered the now-defunct ceasefire treaty between the Sri Lankan government and the rebel LTTE in 2002 and mediated six rounds of talks between the warring parties.
“We have always supported the Sri Lankan government and are hopeful that an invitation will soon be extended to us by both parties to re-enter the facilitation process”, Bauer added.
“It will turn out to be vital if India can mediate and get both the Government and the LTTE back to the peace table. Norway has never abandoned the Sri Lankan Government and if India mediates, we will fully support them”
Bauer further said no “externally designed solution” would end Sri Lanka’s dragging ethnic conflict and Oslo would be more than happy to back “any solution endorsed by the Sri Lankan people. One should not be tempted to impose externally designed solutions to conflicts, but assist the parties in defining a domestic one.
“The common understanding between the Government and the LTTE has been that talks are aimed at finding a political solution that is acceptable to all communities in the country.”
“For Norway, any solution endorsed by the Sri Lankan people is acceptable” he claimed.
Although Sri Lanka has withdrawn from the Norway-brokered ceasefire agreement of 2002 with the LTTE, Oslo remains the designated facilitator between the two sides.
Sri Lanka rejects peace role
Reacting to Norway’s offer to continue its mediating role, Government Defence Spokesperson, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the Sri Lankan government would not re-extend an invitation to Norway to enter the country as mediators.
He also said that the Sri Lankan government will not issue a special invitation to India to play the role of mediator.
“We do not need to offer any special invitation to India. The moment we get our friends involved in the Sri Lankan conflict, it turns out to be volatile as the LTTE does not want peace in this country,” Rambukwella told the Daily Mirror newspaper.
Rambukwella added, India has always been involved in the Sri Lankan conflict by offering its assistance to the Sri Lankan government when required and as such there was no need to invite them for any direct involvement.
Call for Indian involvement
The two-day conference held in Oslo was attended by H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, one of the founders of the IAHV, Professor Rajiva Wijesinha, Secreatary General of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOOP), Ms. Erika Mann, General Secretary of Marumalarchchi Dravida Munneatta Kazhakam, Vaiko, Member of European Parliament, Arumugam Thondaman of Ceylon Workers Congress and a minister in the UPFA government, Jayalath Jayawardene, opposition UNP MP, Venerable Brahmanawatte Seevali Nayaka Thero from Amarapura Mahanikaya, Venerable Maduluvave Sobitha Nayaka Thero from the Nagavihara Kotte, Prof. Indra de Soysa from PRIO in Oslo and Nirj Deva, Member of European Parliament.
Vaiko, Thondaman and Jayawardene also called for increased involvement from India to end the conflict in the island nation.
“India is the regional superpower. Nothing can be done in Sri Lanka without the blessings of India. India needs to get involved,” Minister for Youth Empowerment and Socio-Economic Development Arumugam Thondaman said at the end of a two-day international conference held in Oslo last week.
UNP MP Jayalath Jayawardene also called for an “active role” for India in Sri Lanka. “India is our big brother. We expect a very, very active role by India along with Norway to bring about peace in Sri Lanka,” he said.
However Sri Lanka dismissed any Norwegian involvement in future peace efforts and said it will not issue a special invitation to its ‘big brother’ to play the role of mediator.
Speaking to Indian media on the sidelines of a Conference on Peace and Reconciliation in South Asia, organised in Oslo by Art of Living Foundation of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Norway's special envoy to Colombo Jon Hanssen-Bauer said that India was to be the "main partner" for Sri Lanka in the future, and that Oslo was in regular touch with New Delhi over the issue of peace process in its neighbouring country.
India will play the "most decisive" role in the peace process in Sri Lanka being the "best-placed regional power" to help the island nation, Baur said.
The top Norwegian diplomat, who was appointed the special envoy in 2006, said: "India is the main neighbour to Sri Lanka and they are always taking a keen interest in helping Sri Lanka. I think India will play the most decisive role in the peace process,"
"India is Sri Lanka's big trade partner, it is also a political partner for a long time and they (India) would be the best-placed regional power to actually help Sri Lanka in the best way,"
Stressing that Norway was having "very open communications" with India on the ethnic strife in Sri Lanka, the envoy said: "We are consulting with them very frequently because we think India has a lot of good advice to give."
Norwegian peace role
Bauer also insisted it is still not the end of the road for the Norwegian’s as facilitators to the conflict and says they will resume their mediation if an invitation is extended by the parties in Sri Lanka.
Norway brokered the now-defunct ceasefire treaty between the Sri Lankan government and the rebel LTTE in 2002 and mediated six rounds of talks between the warring parties.
“We have always supported the Sri Lankan government and are hopeful that an invitation will soon be extended to us by both parties to re-enter the facilitation process”, Bauer added.
“It will turn out to be vital if India can mediate and get both the Government and the LTTE back to the peace table. Norway has never abandoned the Sri Lankan Government and if India mediates, we will fully support them”
Bauer further said no “externally designed solution” would end Sri Lanka’s dragging ethnic conflict and Oslo would be more than happy to back “any solution endorsed by the Sri Lankan people. One should not be tempted to impose externally designed solutions to conflicts, but assist the parties in defining a domestic one.
“The common understanding between the Government and the LTTE has been that talks are aimed at finding a political solution that is acceptable to all communities in the country.”
“For Norway, any solution endorsed by the Sri Lankan people is acceptable” he claimed.
Although Sri Lanka has withdrawn from the Norway-brokered ceasefire agreement of 2002 with the LTTE, Oslo remains the designated facilitator between the two sides.
Sri Lanka rejects peace role
Reacting to Norway’s offer to continue its mediating role, Government Defence Spokesperson, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the Sri Lankan government would not re-extend an invitation to Norway to enter the country as mediators.
He also said that the Sri Lankan government will not issue a special invitation to India to play the role of mediator.
“We do not need to offer any special invitation to India. The moment we get our friends involved in the Sri Lankan conflict, it turns out to be volatile as the LTTE does not want peace in this country,” Rambukwella told the Daily Mirror newspaper.
Rambukwella added, India has always been involved in the Sri Lankan conflict by offering its assistance to the Sri Lankan government when required and as such there was no need to invite them for any direct involvement.
Call for Indian involvement
The two-day conference held in Oslo was attended by H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, one of the founders of the IAHV, Professor Rajiva Wijesinha, Secreatary General of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOOP), Ms. Erika Mann, General Secretary of Marumalarchchi Dravida Munneatta Kazhakam, Vaiko, Member of European Parliament, Arumugam Thondaman of Ceylon Workers Congress and a minister in the UPFA government, Jayalath Jayawardene, opposition UNP MP, Venerable Brahmanawatte Seevali Nayaka Thero from Amarapura Mahanikaya, Venerable Maduluvave Sobitha Nayaka Thero from the Nagavihara Kotte, Prof. Indra de Soysa from PRIO in Oslo and Nirj Deva, Member of European Parliament.
Vaiko, Thondaman and Jayawardene also called for increased involvement from India to end the conflict in the island nation.
“India is the regional superpower. Nothing can be done in Sri Lanka without the blessings of India. India needs to get involved,” Minister for Youth Empowerment and Socio-Economic Development Arumugam Thondaman said at the end of a two-day international conference held in Oslo last week.
UNP MP Jayalath Jayawardene also called for an “active role” for India in Sri Lanka. “India is our big brother. We expect a very, very active role by India along with Norway to bring about peace in Sri Lanka,” he said.
