Sri Lanka''s top international lenders bowed to pressure from Buddhist monks and Marxists supporting the government and cancelled a meeting with the Liberation Tigers last Friday.
The World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said the meeting with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was "rescheduled" but did not give a new date.
The last minute cancellation was announced following a discussion between representatives of the World Bank, IMF, UNDP and ADB held Thursday evening at the Ministry of Finance in Colombo.
The National Heritage Party of Buddhist monks and the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peruamana (JVP) had protested against the proposed meet between top officials of the financial institutions with the Tigers.
The donors visit was effectively postponed at the eleventh hour following severe opposition in Colombo including a threat issued by the JVP propaganda secretary Wimal Weerawanse who said the minority government would face serious consequences if the Kilinochchi meeting took place, the Daily Mirror reported Tuesday.
Addressing a joint news conference in Colombo Monday World Bank country head Peter Harold and ADB’s permanent representative Alassandro Pio said the donors collectively decided after talks with the government that it was in the best interest of the Geneva talks that the visit to Kilinochchi was postponed.
Asked if JVP pressure was the main reason for the postponement Mr. Harold said it was just one of many concerns raised.
The monks and the Marxists argued that the donor meeting would have legitimised the Tigers and claimed it also violated an unofficial ban on top diplomats visiting the Tigers after the assassination of the Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in August last year.
The Sinhala nationalists protested the donors proposed meeting “has a hidden significance aiming at attributing a fake validity to the rebel outfit prior to the proposed talks in Geneva.”
Asserting that it was the responsibility of the President to prevent such meeting from taking place, these parties have reportedly said, the donor agencies should talk to the government on any post-tsunami development programmes and not with the LTTE.
''The Heads of the agencies, after consultation with the government and the LTTE, have postponed their visit to the Kilinochchi. The visit will be rescheduled after the Geneva meeting later this month,'' a statement from the External Affairs of the World Bank
"Much hope rests on a successful outcome at the Geneva talks and the agencies did not want to undertake anything that might have a negative impact on the buildup to this event."
"A technical team has proceeded to (the LTTE-held) Kilinochchi to review impediments to implementation of ongoing tsunami and post conflict recovery programmes," the agencies said.
Meanwhile the heads of the WB and ADB told reporters Monday that the present unstable security situation in the east was a handicap for the pace of development work funded by the two lending agencies and that the upcoming talks in Geneva were vital in creating a more conducive environment for development.
The World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said the meeting with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was "rescheduled" but did not give a new date.
The last minute cancellation was announced following a discussion between representatives of the World Bank, IMF, UNDP and ADB held Thursday evening at the Ministry of Finance in Colombo.
The National Heritage Party of Buddhist monks and the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peruamana (JVP) had protested against the proposed meet between top officials of the financial institutions with the Tigers.
The donors visit was effectively postponed at the eleventh hour following severe opposition in Colombo including a threat issued by the JVP propaganda secretary Wimal Weerawanse who said the minority government would face serious consequences if the Kilinochchi meeting took place, the Daily Mirror reported Tuesday.
Addressing a joint news conference in Colombo Monday World Bank country head Peter Harold and ADB’s permanent representative Alassandro Pio said the donors collectively decided after talks with the government that it was in the best interest of the Geneva talks that the visit to Kilinochchi was postponed.
Asked if JVP pressure was the main reason for the postponement Mr. Harold said it was just one of many concerns raised.
The monks and the Marxists argued that the donor meeting would have legitimised the Tigers and claimed it also violated an unofficial ban on top diplomats visiting the Tigers after the assassination of the Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in August last year.
The Sinhala nationalists protested the donors proposed meeting “has a hidden significance aiming at attributing a fake validity to the rebel outfit prior to the proposed talks in Geneva.”
Asserting that it was the responsibility of the President to prevent such meeting from taking place, these parties have reportedly said, the donor agencies should talk to the government on any post-tsunami development programmes and not with the LTTE.
''The Heads of the agencies, after consultation with the government and the LTTE, have postponed their visit to the Kilinochchi. The visit will be rescheduled after the Geneva meeting later this month,'' a statement from the External Affairs of the World Bank
"Much hope rests on a successful outcome at the Geneva talks and the agencies did not want to undertake anything that might have a negative impact on the buildup to this event."
"A technical team has proceeded to (the LTTE-held) Kilinochchi to review impediments to implementation of ongoing tsunami and post conflict recovery programmes," the agencies said.
Meanwhile the heads of the WB and ADB told reporters Monday that the present unstable security situation in the east was a handicap for the pace of development work funded by the two lending agencies and that the upcoming talks in Geneva were vital in creating a more conducive environment for development.
