Norwegian mediator tells Sri Lanka talks that international community impatient for peace

Norwegian mediator tells Sri Lanka talks that international community impatient for peace

Associated Press, Sat October 28, 2006 07:57 EDT . GENEVA (AP) _ The Norwegian mediator leading two days of peace talks between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels in Switzerland said Saturday it was time to move forward because the nation's people and the international community were growing impatient for peace.

Erik Solheim, Norway's minister for international development, opened the weekend talks with a personal appeal for progress toward an end to the 23-year conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 65,000 people, saying that ``the people of Sri Lanka may feel a lot of impatience in finding a solution now, and there is also an impatience in the broader international community.''

He warned the parties, who were meeting in Geneva for the second time this year, that progress had to be made soon, otherwise the focus would shift to other conflicts around the globe.

``Every political leader in the world tends to focus on one or two (conflicts) at a time,'' Solheim said.

``The only way for you to get the attention of presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers, those who make decisions globally, is to move forward. If you move forward they will go with you to the last person,'' he said.

Neither of the Sri Lankan delegations spoke to the press at the start of the meeting, but opening statements were posted on government and pro-Tamil Web sites.

Accusing the government of engaging in an ``undeclared war,'' the political chief of the Tamil Tigers, S.P. Tamilselvan, said his group was prepared to engage in ``unconditional direct talks'' because of the dire situation in the country.

The European Union's inclusion of the Tamil Tigers on a list of designated terrorist groups in May also contributed to a worsening of the conflict, he said, by giving the military the chance to act ``with impunity'' against the rebels.

``The best we can hope for from the current talks is therefore, the strengthening of the (cease-fire) agreement that has the potential to lead to a permanent, just peace,'' Tamilselvan said.

The government, which has long maintained that the Tigers are guilty of serious human rights abuses _ including the recruitment of child soldiers _ and stifling democracy in the areas they control, said it hoped the talks would move the country forward.

At the top of the agenda were ``restoration of democracy, political pluralism, meaningful devolution, human rights and economic development,'' said Sri Lanka's health minister, Nimal Siripala de Silva, who led the government delegation.

The government statement did not make any mention of the rebels' demand Friday that a road linking Sri Lanka's northern Jaffna peninsula with the rest of the country be reopened.

Daya Master, a spokesman for the Tigers, had said Friday that the group would not consent to any future meetings with the government if the military did not lift the road blockade.

The Geneva talks are taking place under tight security against a backdrop of mounting violence in the South Asian country, which has claimed the lives of about 2,000 civilians, soldiers and rebels so far this year.

Solheim, who has been involved in the peace negotiations for eight years, said both sides had failed to implement agreements reached at a first round of talks in February intended to revive a 2002 Norwegian-brokered cease-fire.

Fighting that has flared up since last year has displaced about 200,000 people, according to United Nations estimates, and shut off communities in the north and east of the country.

Earlier Saturday, suspected Tamil Tiger rebels fatally shot a government soldier and two bomb blasts blamed on rebels wounded six police officers in the volatile northeast, the military said.

Highlighting the humanitarian suffering of those affected by the war, Solheim said military de-escalation and an end to impunity for those carrying out the killings were important first steps toward a political solution, which he said should occur ``within the unity and sovereignty of one Sri Lankan state.''

He also called on the parties to allow the Nordic-led Sri Lanka monitoring mission access to all conflict areas in order to assess the adherence to any cease-fire agreements.

Last month a group of Sri Lankan lawyers traveled to Geneva to press the U.N. Human Rights Council to take action against human rights violations being carried out by the Sri Lankan military and the Tamil Tiger rebels.

During the run-up to the talks both sides emphasized their willingness to engage in open discussions to salvage the cease-fire and return Sri Lanka to the state of near normalcy it experienced between 2002 and 2005.

Associated Press Writer Eliane Engeler contributed to this report.

1 soldier, 1 civilian killed, 6 police wounded in Sri Lanka as peace talks begin

Associated Press, Sat October 28, 2006 09:59 EDT . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels fatally shot a government soldier and wounded six police officers in two bomb attacks Saturday in volatile northeastern Sri Lanka - , as peace talks began in Switzerland between the two sides. Erik Solheim, the Norwegian chief mediator, opened the talks with a personal appeal for progress in ending the 23-year conflict, saying it was time to move forward because Sri Lanka - 's people and the international community are growing impatient for peace.

The Tigers political chief, S.P. Tamilselvan, accused the government of carrying out an undeclared war against the Tamil people, and said his group was prepared to engage in ``unconditional direct talks'' because of the dire situation.

He blamed the European Union's inclusion of the Tamil Tigers on a list of designated terrorist groups for a worsening of the conflict, saying it had allowed the military the chance to act ``with impunity.''

``The best we can hope for from the current talks is therefore, the strengthening of the (cease-fire) agreement that has the potential to lead to a permanent, just peace,'' Tamilselvan said in Geneva, according to TamilNet.

The government, which has long maintained that the Tigers are guilty of serious human rights abuses including the recruitment of child soldiers and stifling democracy in the areas they control, said it hoped the talks would move the country forward.

Talks planned for April were canceled after both sides blamed the other for the rising violence.

Increased fighting in the island country off southern India has killed about 2,000 soldiers, rebels and civilians this year.

The rebels want a self-ruled homeland for minority ethnic Tamils, citing discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.

The government says it can offer autonomy, but not a separate state. About 65,000 people were killed before the 2002 truce

Rains claim four lives, 45,000 displaced

COLOMBO: The prevailing heavy inter-monsoon rains have caused four deaths and 45,000 people from 8,000 families have been displaced. Many areas in several districts were flooded. The four deaths have been reported from Dankotuwa, Neluwa and Yakkalamulla.

Around 500 houses have been destroyed in Gampaha, Kalutara, Colombo and Ratnapura districts.

Residents of Gampaha, Wattala, Katana and Ja-Ela areas were seriously affected by the heavy rain.

Puttalam, Naththandiya, Mahawewa, Dankotuwa, Veyangoda, Galle and Yakkalamulla have been affected by floods. Public transportation has come to a standstill and telephone lines and electricity lines have been seriously damaged.

Landslides have occurred in Deraniyagala due to heavy rain.

Kelani, Kalu, Walawa and Gin rivers are about to overflow. The water level of Ma-Oya has increased.

The present climate will continue till the end of November, Deputy Director of the Meteorological Department S. Kariyawasam said.

The public are warned to take precautions against heavy thunder and lightning activity during this period.

The Government has provided Rs. 4 million relief assistance to those displaced by the torrential rains which began on October 13.

Rs.20,000 will be given as compensation to reconstruct damaged houses.

The Government has already handed over funds to Divisional Secretaries to provide cooked meals and other essential dry rations to flood victims.

Disaster Relief Service Ministry's National Disaster Management Centre Director N.D. Hettiarchchi told the Daily News that the prevailing heavy rains and occasional cyclonic winds were a feature of the inter-monsoon rains.