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Veteran diplomat to head peace secretariat

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a two-man committee to serve as a "political focal point" for the peace process.

The committee, comprising Ministers G.L.Peiris and Milinda Moragoda, will be solely responsible for the "public interface and the dissemination of information [on the peace process] under my guidance," Prime Minister Wickremesinghe wrote in a letter to his Norwegian counterpart Kjell Magne Bondevik on Friday, following a telephone conversation earlier in the day. The Lankan Prime Minister also informed the Norwegian Prime Minister that the two-man committee would "keep in close contact with your Ambassador in Colombo".

The Prime Minister will also appoint a secretariat staffed by experts working under an experienced diplomat, as an institutional structure to back up the peace process.

In his letter, Premier Wickremesinghe also urged his Norwegian counterpart to keep a member of the Opposition nominated by the President briefed on the peace process, just as he was kept informed as the previous Leader of the Opposition. The letter:"

28 December 2001,

Hon. Kjell Magne Bondevik,

Prime Minister,

Royal Norwegian Government,

Norway.

Dear Prime Minister,

I was pleased to have had the opportunity to speak with you on the phone on 27th December. During our conversation I was able to brief you on my Government's plans to revive political negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

First of all, I wish to thank the Royal Norwegian Government (RNG) for the assistance provided so far to Sri Lanka in our search for a political solution. I need not emphasise the fact that my Government appreciates fully the assistance provided by your Government in the past.

As I indicated during my telephone conversation with you, we would very much like to have the continued assistance of the RNG in a similar capacity to carry on the task embarked upon by the previous Sri Lankan Government.

As I firmly believe that bipartisanship is critical to the success of our endeavour, we would appreciate it if the RNG keeps a member of the Opposition nominated by Her Excellency the President, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga briefed in the same manner, as I was kept informed during my period as the Leader of the Opposition.

Similarly, it is understood that the RNG will keep India and other relevant parties informed of the developments on a need to know basis. In conclusion, I would like to inform you that I have formed a committee consisting of Prof. G.L. Pieris, Minister of Enterprise Development, Industrial Policy and Investment Promotion and Minister of Constitutional Affairs and Mr. Milinda Moragoda, Minister for Economic Reform, Science and Technology which has been mandated to function as the political focal point for the peace process.

Given the sensitive nature of the peace process and the history of suspicion between the two parties, this committee will also be solely responsible for public interface and the dissemination of information under my guidance. This committee will also keep in close contact with your Ambassador in Colombo. Past experiences have demonstrated the definite need for an institutional structure to back up such processes. Therefore, I have set up a secretariat in my own office for this purpose. This secretariat will be headed by an experienced diplomat and staffed by a team of experts.

With kind regards,

Yours sincerely,

Ranil Wickremesinghe,

Prime Minister

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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