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Norway announces exact dates for Thailand: Peace talks begin on September 16

Formal peace talks between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will begin in Thailand on September 16.

Peace facilitator Norway said the first round of direct negotiations between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE would be held from September 16 to 18.

"In consultation with the Thai and Norwegian authorities, the parties have decided to hold the first round of talks on September 16 -18, 2002," the Norwegian government said in a statement issued last night.

"The Norwegian government will announce the venue [city] for the negotiations and information on press access closer to the time of the talks," it said.

The statement quoted Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen as saying that there would be difficulties ahead as both sides enter talks, but they had displayed commitment to seek a durable settlement.

"With this step the parties continue their long road towards peace. There is no reason to conceal that there are considerable difficulties ahead. But, there is also a determination on both sides to seek a lasting political settlement of the ethnic conflict," Helgesen said.

The government and the LTTE earlier agreed to start talks between September 12 and 17. They have been observing a Norwegian-brokered Ceasefire since February 23, monitored by Scandinavians representing the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission. The government has stated earlier that it would lift the domestic ban on the LTTE 10 days before the talks begin.

The talks announcement came soon after government and LTTE representatives held another round of talks in Kilinochchi on the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the North-East.

Director-General of the Peace Secretariat Bernard Gunatilleke held talks with LTTE Political Wing Chief S.P. Thamilselvan on the initial rehabilitation and reconstruction needs. This was their third meeting.

The talks announcement also follows two meetings held in London and in Oslo between Minister Milinda Moragoda and LTTE Chief Negotiator Anton Balasingham. The initial announcement on the range of date for talks - September 12 to 17 - was made after their second meeting in Oslo.

Thailand, the host, is reported to have offered a range of venues to both parties. "We have proposed Chiang Mai, the resort island of Phuket, Chiang Rai, Chonburi (Pattaya) or even Bangkok," a Thai Foreign Ministry official said last week.

"After they have chosen the venue, a preparation meeting to set the agenda and decide on other matters will be organised before the actual talks start," the official added.

Constitutional Affairs minister G. L. Peiris has said that the talks could be held twice a month after a ceremonial opening.

"We are looking at something like two meetings a month with each meeting lasting for about three days," he said, adding that the Norwegians will be present as "facilitators". The government will send a four-man team to Thailand for the talks.

The open-ended bilateral truce was among the confidence-building measures taken ahead of direct talks, which included the opening of A9 and A5 roads, relaxation of travel restrictions, relaxation of an embargo on certain goods sent to the North and an agreement on a sea passage for LTTE vessels under Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) supervision.

The US, Britain, France and Japan have welcomed the announcement of formal negotiations between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to end three decades of fighting.

Visiting US Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage on Thursday vowed US support for ending the conflict. The US Government will push forward Sri Lanka's peace process "as forcefully as it can" , he said.

"The upcoming talks will be difficult. There will be setbacks. By agreeing to meet in Thailand, however, both parties have indicated an intent, we hope a sincere one, to choose peace over war, reconciliation over division," he said.

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