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| Saturday, 13 September 2003 |
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Donors renew aid pledge The donor community yesterday renewed their pledge to assist Sri Lanka's reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in tandem with progress in the peace process. A statement issued after the Tokyo follow-up aid meeting in Colombo said the international community was committed to fulfilling its aid pledges for Sri Lanka's reconstruction efforts. The donors reiterated the Tokyo Declaration that said "assistance by the donor community must be closely linked to substantial and parallel progress in the peace process". They said the participants welcomed the continuing commitment to peace of both parties to the peace process and their continued efforts to resume the pace talks. They stressed the importance of urgent humanitarian and rehabilitation assistance for the North-East and expressed strong commitment to intensify development assistance to the South. Donor countries and agencies reviewed their aid commitments to Sri Lanka in the context of the massive US$ 4.5 billion package announced at the Tokyo Summit in June. The participants will monitor reconstruction programmes undertaken following the aid pledging conference in Tokyo. The one-day meeting at the Colombo Hilton was chaired by Japan's Special Peace Envoy Yasushi Akashi, but Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) representatives were not present. They had boycotted the Tokyo Summit as well. "We are sorry about that, we would have liked them to attend," said Akashi, who is to meet LTTE leaders on Sunday at their political headquarters in Kilinochchi. Akashi said the 12 countries and seven international organisations which took part in yesterday's meeting were frustrated that the LTTE had not resumed their participation in the talks aimed at permanently ending the ethnic war in Sri Lanka. Representatives from the governments of Sri Lanka, the United States, India, several European countries including Norway, and from multilateral agencies such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and UN groups were present at the progress meeting. Commenting on the LTTE's absence, Akashi said: "We are disappointed, certainly, and we hope that they will work in such a way to get more assistance to their area so people can benefit from it, but, of course, they have their own frustrations and concerns and doubts." "The official position of the LTTE is that the organisation opted out of the Tokyo aid conference according to the dictates of the collective Tamil conscience," a LTTE statement issued from Kilinochchi said. "The premises that prevailed during that time haven't changed in any manner enabling the organisation to participate in the follow up meeting," the LTTE said in its official web site. Akashi held talks with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at Temple Trees on Thursday night. Akashi will travel to Ampara and Kalmunai to meet Muslim leaders and discuss Muslim interests in the proposed Interim Administration. He will also meet the Government's peace delegation. The LTTE announced Wednesday they would boycott the meeting but will have a separate discussion with him in the Wanni on Sunday. The Tigers who suspended their participation in peace talks in April are expected to present their counter-proposals on the Interim Administration to the government within the next few weeks. Peace talks could begin soon afterwards, government sources said. The next Consultative Group meeting will be held next year in Colombo. The exact timing will depend on the progress in the peace process. The next follow-up meeting will be held at the end of this year or the beginning of next year. |
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