“The Government of Norway is deeply committed to promoting peace and reconciliation internationally,” Solheim said. “Norway remains willing to facilitate the peace process in Sri Lanka for as long as the two parties request such assistance, and for as long as it is possible for Norway to play a constructive role.”

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the Sinhala extreme nationalist party, Thursday said it would firmly oppose Sri Lankan President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse seeking assistance from the Norwegian Government to facilitate in the peace process between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL). Mr. Somawanse Amarasinghe, the leader of the JVP reiterated his party's position at a press briefing held at the National Library auditorium in Colombo.

Rejecting the Tamil demand of right to self determination and the concept of traditional Tamil homeland, Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse in his first address to the Parliament in Colombo Friday avoided reference to Norwegian facilitation and reiterated his hard stand outlined in the "Mahinda Thinking" election manifesto prepared following his agreement with extreme Sinhala nationalist JVP and JHU. Nullifying the P-TOMS agreement, he said he would replace it with "Jaya Lanka" (Victory to Lanka) tsunami reconstruction programme. His "new peace process" would aim to have direct talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), he said. Mr Rajapakse said: "Instead of traditional homelands and self-determination that allow an ethnic group to breakaway from the Republic of Sri Lanka, steps will be taken to ensure for all communities, including Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim Burgher and Malay the freedom to exercise all the rights enshrined in the constitution, including the right to live in any part of Sri Lanka on the grounds that the entire territory is the homeland of all communities."

"..The results of the recent Presidential election in Sri Lanka should serve as an eyeopener to the International Community (IC) to see for itself, the actual conditions prevailing in the island and formulate a suitable and pragmatic policy re-structure, in order to install permanent peace and promote development in the turbulent island and the South Asia region... The Sinhala nation has expressed its resolve by its vote in the Presidential election to - uphold Sinhala Language only and Unitary State in Sri Lanka. The Tamil nation has expressed its resolve with its decision by abstaining from voting in the Presidential election to - respect the decision of the Sinhala people to have their will in the Sinhala nation;  and to uphold Tamil people's decision to demand for recognition of their right to self-determination; nationhood and their traditional homeland..."

"...Within hours of the Sri Lanka’s election commission announcing Mr. Rajapakse’s vote tally had surpassed the requisite 50%, the new Norwegian government extended its congratulations and extended a clear offer to resume peace facilitation. But President-elect Rajapakse did not respond. Indeed, he did not even acknowledge Oslo’s extended hand either at his swearing in speech or in the days afterwards..."

"The election of Mahinda Rajapakse as Sri Lanka’s president puts the country’s already fragile peace efforts at a watershed. By engineering a boycott of the election, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) virtually guaranteed Rajapakse’s election, but also served notice that their position has hardened..."

Sri Lanka Media Release
07 December 2005


H.E. Hans Brattskar, Ambassador of the Royal Norwegian Embassy called on H.E. Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka today. At this meeting H.E. President Rajapaksa invited the Royal Norwegian Government to continue its role as facilitator to the Peace Process in Sri Lanka.

H.E. President Rajapaksa met with the four Co-chairs [US, UK (EU Presidency) Japan and Norway], in the afternoon, to brief them on his on-going consultations and preparatory work for the continuation of the peace process.

Director Information
Department of Government Information

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has asked Norway to continue mediating in peace efforts with Tamil rebels. Mr Rajapakse made his request in talks with the Norwegian ambassador in Colombo, a government statement said. The move came despite a recent election vow to review Norway's role and follows calls from key coalition allies for Oslo to be relieved of its duties.

"A plethora of names are being bounced around – shadow war, stealth war, subversive war, and so on. But no concrete action is being taken to arrest it. As this newspaper has argued before, any peace process can only make progress amidst a stable security environment for both protagonists. Since the February 2002 ceasefire was signed Sri Lanka’s south has enjoyed security and stability – save a few high profile and isolated incidents and those, moreover, in recent times. But the security situation in the Northeast has been getting steadily worse for at least two years. Colombo’s schoolyard politics of sneak attacks and claims of innocence have been tolerated by the international community for too long. The Co-chairs must exert their influence with the new Sri Lankan administration to demonstrably implement Clause 1.8 of the Ceasefire Agreement immediately. A period of mutual de-escalation and confidence building is a sine quo non if a meaningful peace process is to resume. It must begin with an end to the Army’s covert onslaught. "

Sri Lanka Peace Process: Norway for ‘close talks’ with India

"Hours after Sri Lanka’s new President overturned an earlier statement and asked Norway to resume its role as facilitator of peace talks between the government and Tamil rebels, Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg arrived in New Delhi to consolidate India’s support before facilitating the initiation of the next round of talks. Stoltenberg met PM Manmohan Singh on Thursday and will hold another meeting on Friday as well. Speaking to reporters this morning, Stoltenberg, whose visit is ostensibly to discuss energy, free trade and bilateral relations, said, ‘‘My visit gives me the opportunity to have direct dialogue with the Indian leadership on the Sri Lankan peace process. It is important that we agree on all matters before we proceed, and more important for India and Norway to continue their close dialogue as far as the peace process is concerned.’’

Ana Pararajasingham - Required: Paradigm Shifts

"..It is vital that the Tamils seek a deeper understanding of the factors which drive this (Sinhala) intransigence. A clue to this is to be found in a speech by S W R D Bandaranaike, the founder of the Sinhala Maha Saba and the architect of the Sinhala Only policy of 1956 which marked the beginning of the Tamil struggle for self-rule. According to  the Daily News of 8, November 1955, Bandaranaike made the case for the Sinhala Only bill by arguing that  "With their  books and culture and the will and strength characteristic of their race, the Tamils (if parity were granted) would  soon rise to exert their dominant power over us”  It was not just the Mahavamsa inspired notions of 'primacy' that have been the impetus, but also something else-the fear of domination. .".

"Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapakse on Friday (10 December)  said that the facilitator for the peace process and the monitor for the ceasefire agreement "cannot be from the same country."

The President's view on separating the twin roles currently played by Norway was reported in the state-run Daily News.

"There should be two entities to facilitate the peace process and to monitor the ceasefire," between the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the newspaper quoted Mr. Rajapakse as telling the visiting Japanese Special Envoy, Yasushi Akashi.

The role played by facilitator, Norway, and the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM), which is a team comprising Nordic representatives and headed by a Norwegian, was one of the key issues raised by Mr. Rajapakse's election allies — the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU). The two parties want a review of the ceasefire agreement, which was facilitated by Norway.

During his meeting, Mr. Rajapakse also told Mr. Akashi that he would welcome monitors from Japan, South Asia and other Scandinavian countries, the newspaper said. .."

Sri Lanka's Special Task Force & Sri Lanka  Ministers complicit in paramilitary operations

"While vocalizing support for the peace process (for international consumption), Sinhala leaders have done little to actually advance it. After the CFA was signed (for which Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe was amply criticized), nothing was done to promote the peace. There was no public education on the benefits of a peaceful resolution. After agreeing to a Sub-Committee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs (SIHRN) nothing was done to implement it. After agreeing to explore federalism as a possible solution, nothing was done to promote this concept among the Sinhala masses. In fact, what was done is the exact opposite. Massive demonstrations against the Norwegian mediators, vigorous propaganda against federalism, take-over of key ministries in the peace process by the President on the pretext of ‘national security’, and so on and so forth.It is in this milieu that the existence of the so called paramilitaries, or the ‘other groups’ must be viewed and understood. If anyone believes that these paramilitaries are functioning without the support of the Sri Lanka government and the Sri Lanka armed forces, they are indeed hallucinating..." more

Maintaining symmetry of power, key to meaningful peace talks

“Instead of choosing a constructive political path setting incremental milestones to monitor progress in addressing the national crisis, various Sri Lanka governments in power, were preoccupied with an "oppressive mindset" and have attempted to weaken the Tamil struggle by purposely dragging out peace processes. A  meaningful peace process is possible only if the prevailing strategic symmetry of power is maintained between the two parties. ” -  TNA parliamentarian Selvam Adaikalanathan

"The Tamil Tiger rebels were responsible for a "gross violation" of Sri Lanka's fragile ceasefire this week, international ceasefire monitors say. The monitors urged the Tigers to prevent similar incidents after an air force helicopter came under fire. The rebels deny responsibility....The Russian-built MI-17 helicopter came under small arms fire as it flew to collect Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Margherita Boniver from a village in eastern Ampara. It suffered minor damage but returned to Ampara town safely.... The Norwegian-led monitors said in a statement on Saturday that "as the small arms fire against the helicopter originated from an area controlled by LTTE, the LTTE must bear the responsibility for the incident". Firing upon the unarmed Sri Lankan air force helicopter "is ruled as a gross violation" of the ceasefire..." But the head of the Tigers' political wing, SP Thamilselvan, insisted in an interview with the BBC's Tamil service that the Tigers had nothing to do with the incident...."

Attack on Sri Lanka Army Helicopter & SLMM

 "..The current dilemma stems from beneath the surface. There are several paramilitary groups operating and we have seen one of these camps and it was quite clear that the army on the ground was aware because this was in the government controlled area... We brought this up with the government last year. Waited for their reaction. The government claimed that it had nothing to do with this group and was not aware of their existence. But when we visited the spot in the east and asked the Sri Lankan army where we could find Karuna, they told us where to go. So it was clear that the local army knew where he was. We have stressed this to the government that they need to be disarmed. You have also seen the Co-chairs asking the government to disarm paramilitaries..."

"The Government of Sri Lanka not only failed to carry out proper investigations into the assasinations of reputed Tamil leaders, parliamentarians, journalists and activists, but it has also failed to take appropriate actions to prevent the recurrence of such crimes against the ordinary Tamil civilians, all four Tamil parties in the Lankan parliament charged in a joint memorandum sent to SL President Mahinda Rajapakse Friday. The joint statement was issued by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), Upcountry Peoples' Front (UPF) and Western Province Peoples' Front (WPPF) that jointly staged a protest campaign within the chambers of the Sri Lankan Parliament. "

"..Amid the international community’s expressions of concern and disapproval, one stands out in the Tamil perspective: that of US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Jeffrey Lunstead. Speaking to the American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka last week, Mr. Lunstead lambasted the LTTE. Amid what is a spiral of violence and counter violence, he singled out the LTTE for blame. As thousands of Tamils fled military reprisals he congratulated the Colombo government ‘for its restraint.’ Holding the LTTE responsible for the wider failures of the peace process, Mr. Lunstead even blamed it for the lack of ‘investment and industry’ in the Northeast... The United States is one of the four Co-Chairs overseeing the peace process. Mr. Lunstead’s comments have thus not only damaged the Co-Chairs credibility as even-handed advocates of a solution amongst Sri Lanka’s communities, but changed the dynamic between the two protagonists at a crucial and sensitive time"

" ‘சமாதானப்பேச்சு - சமாதானப்பேச்சு’ என்று தொடர்ந்தும் உலக நாடுகள் புலம்பி வருகின்றார்களே - இவர்கள் தயவு செய்து ஒரு விடயத்தை விளக்குவார்களா? பேசுவதானால் எதைப்பற்றி பேசுவது? ‘ஒற்றையாட்சியின் கீழ் தீர்வா?’ ‘தமிழர் கோட்பாட்டை ஏற்றுக் கொள்ளாத பேச்சு வார்த்தையா?’ இதன் அடிப்படைகளை உலகநாடுகள் தெளிவாக்க வேண்டும். ஏனென்றால் முன்னர் உலக நாடுகள் ஏற்றுக் கொண்ட கோட்பாடுகளையெல்லாம் இப்போது சிறிலங்கா அரசு மறுதலித்து நிற்கின்றது. இவை தெளிவாக்கப்படாமல் பேசப்போவது பயன் தராது என்பதே எமது கருத்தாகும்." more