SRI LANKA: NORWEGIAN MEDIATOR WITHDRAWS FROM PEACE PROCESS UNTIL ITS POLITICAL CRISIS IS RESOLVED.

Record ID: 350403

  • Title: SRI LANKA: NORWEGIAN MEDIATOR WITHDRAWS FROM PEACE PROCESS UNTIL ITS POLITICAL CRISIS IS RESOLVED.
  • Date: 14th November 2003
  • Summary: (W3) COLOMBO, SRI LANKA (NOVEMBER 14, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. WS/INTERIOR: NEWS CONFERENCE BY NORWEGIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER VIDAR HELGESEN. 0.04 2. SCU: PHOTOGRAPHERS AT NEWS CONFERENCE. 0.11 3. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) NORWEGIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER VIDAR HELGESEN SAYING: "The resumption of peace talks are seriously impeded by the poli
  • Embargoed: 29th November 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA
  • Country: Sri Lanka
  • Reuters ID: LVAAHNXBD7TOS63XAE6UMES7R2O9
  • Story Text: Norway has said it would not broker Sri Lanka's
    peace process until its political crisis is resolved.




    Norway on Friday (November 14) withdrew as a key
    mediator in Sri Lanka's peace process, saying it would only
    return when a power struggle ended between the island's
    President and Prime Minister.

    Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen called
    the feud a serious threat to a peace process that seeks to
    end one of Asia's bloodiest and longest-running wars, but
    he added that the government and their Tamil Tiger foes had
    assured him they were committed to a ceasefire.

    But he added: "We need to make clear that the ceasefire
    will be much more difficult to sustain in a political
    vacuum."
    The move puts further pressure on President Chandrika
    Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to end
    a political crisis that erupted when the President sacked
    three cabinet ministers and suspended parliament last week.

    "The resumption of peace talks is seriously impeded by
    the political crisis," Helgesen told reporters.

    Helgesen said the talks that stalled last April could
    have resumed "tomorrow" had there been "clarity on who
    holds political authority and responsibility on behalf of
    the government to ensure continuation of the ceasefire
    agreement and resumption of peace negotiations.

    "Until such clarity is re-established, there is no
    space for further efforts by the Norwegian government to
    assist the parties," he said.

    "We will go home and wait... We have no intention of
    abandoning the peace process, but there are limits to what
    we can do," Helgesen said.

    Wickremesinghe had no comment. A spokesman for
    Kumaratunga's office said that she wanted to ensure that
    there was support for the peace process.

    "The objective of our effort, is to ensure that there is
    not only clarity but countrywide support for a resolution
    in the longstanding ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka," the
    spokesman said.

    "The president wishes to reiterate her commitment at a
    time like this, to put country before self, and join hands
    in the formation of a national government of reconstruction
    and reconciliation."
    However, he made no comment on Norway suspending its
    role.

    The fighting in the war that has killed 64,000 over 20
    years has been on hold since Norway brokered a truce in
    February 2002 -- giving the island its best chance yet of
    ending the war -- but Helgesen said the political crisis
    could put it under strain.

    He said the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, which
    oversees the ceasefire and includes officials from Norway
    and other Nordic countries, would continue.

    Norway's move comes a day after the reclusive leader of
    the Tamil Tigers also said the power struggle made it
    impossible to sit down and talk peace, but Velupillai
    Prabhakaran added that he had no plan to return to war.

    Diplomats said an election was possible if neither
    Kumaratunga nor Wickremesinghe was willing to make
    concessions.

    The Colombo Stock Exchange fell seven percent on the
    news.

    Kumaratunga said she had fired the ministers in the
    interests of national security, saying Wickremesinghe had
    made too many concessions to win peace.

    He responded by demanding she take over the peace
    process herself or reinstate the defence, interior and
    media ministers.

    They have met once since their latest row erupted,
    agreeing only to meet again next week. The suspended
    parliament is supposed to reconvene on Wednesday when next
    year's budget will be presented.

    A previous peace bid by Kumaratunga ended in renewed
    fighting in 1995, and the current effort she began with
    Norway's help floundered until Wickremesinghe took over
    after winning parliamentary elections in late 2001.

    The two share power in an uneasy cohabitation in which
    Wickremesinghe controls parliament but the president heads
    the cabinet and has the power to sack ministers.


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