Norwegian facilitators meet LTTE theoretician

by Ananth Palakidnar

LTTE Theoretician Dr. Anton Balasingham has urged the Norwegian facilitators to stabilise the Ceasefire Agreement in order to resume negotiations between the LTTE and the Government.

Dr. Balasingham expressed his views on the current stalemate on the peace front when the Norwegian special envoy Erik Solheim and the Norwegian envoy to Sri Lanka Hans Brattskar met him at his residence in London on Saturday, sources said.

The meeting between the Norwegians and Dr. Anton Balasingham took nearly three hours where the various aspects of the stalled peace process were discussed.

Saturday's London meeting was a follow up to the meeting held in Killinochchi between LTTE's political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan and the SLMM chief who was accompanied by the Charge de Affaires of the Norwegian embassy in Colombo.

During the talks with Dr. Balasingham, the Norwegians explored the possibility of resuming the stalled peace process. However, Balasingham rejecting the chances of resuming the peace talks early said that stabilising the Ceasefire Agreement was the need of the hour.

Balasingham also pointed out that outside the North and East several chauvinist forces were all out to create a total breakdown in the peace process.

Describing the LTTE's position on the P-TOMS, Balasingham has said the efforts of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga have been crippled by extremists. "The LTTE with the support of the International community will do its best to bring relief to the tsunami victims who have not received anything constructive since the Tsunami devastated the North and East in last December," Balasingham has added.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Chief Hagrup Haukland will meet the Defence Secretary, three Service Chiefs and the head of the Peace Secretariat today to reach a settlement over the LTTE's transport issue in the North-East.