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Top Norwegian envoy to visit Sri Lanka in October

Associated Press, Mon September 26, 2005 02:42 EDT . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ A retired Norwegian military general will likely visit Sri Lanka next month to review an Oslo-brokered cease-fire between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels, an embassy spokeswoman said Monday.

Trond Furuhovde's tentative arrival date is Oct. 10, Norwegian Embassy spokeswoman Kjersti Tromsdal said, but the date must still be confirmed. Furuhovde is the former head of a team of observers monitoring Sri Lanka's cease-fire agreement reached in 2002.

The Sri Lankan government and the rebels have agreed to resume direct talks, suspended since 2003, to save the cease-fire, which has been severely tested by a spate of killings that included the Aug. 12 assassination of Sri Lanka's foreign minister by suspected Tigers. The Tigers deny involvement.

The government has insisted that any talks with the guerrillas must be held in Sri Lanka, and has rejected a Tiger proposal to meet in rebel-stronghold Kilinochchi. The rebels, citing security reasons, also suggested Oslo as a venue, but the government said the Tamil Tigers would use any foreign venue to further their separatist campaign.

An earlier statement from the Norwegian foreign ministry said that Furuhovde will ``consult with both parties on the security situation and the implementation of the cease-fire agreement.''

The guerrillas began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for minority ethnic Tamils in the country's north and east, claiming discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.

The conflict killed nearly 65,000 people before a cease-fire was signed. Subsequent peace talks have been stalled since 2003 over rebel demands for wider autonomy.

Tamil businessmen laud Mahinda's vision for Lanka

THE Tamil business community last Friday pledged their fullest support to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, to elect him as the next President, on the basis of being the only leader who has a pragmatic approach to solve the country's burning issues.

The Tamil business community consisting of over 1,000 businessmen, were of the firm view that all patriots should rally round Rajapakse and extend their fullest support to make him the next President because he was a leader who was not confined only to rhetoric but had a practical and systematic approach for solving the problems facing the country.

They pointed out that in the past, the rulers discussed the 'cost of living' only with the hierarchy of multi-national and mega-level companies.

However, Rajapakse discussed matters at grassroots level with the Pettah Wholesalers and small-scale businessmen.

Addressing Tamil businessmen, the Premier asserted that on being elected President, he will resume peace talks with the LTTE and bring permanent and sustainable peace and steer the country to prosperity within an environment where all communities abide by the law and live in harmony with one another.

Stressing that all children should have equal access to education, he said he would formulate plans to provide two popular, Tamil-stream schools in Colombo and Kandy, to enable Tamil children to receive their education in their language.

Ministers Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, Dilan Perera, Rohitha Bogollagama and Tamil Businessmen's Forum President S. Manikkam also participated.