Truce talks will go ahead - Solheim

NEW DELHI: Norway's top peace envoys said they were confident truce talks set for this month would go ahead. Former peace envoy Norway's International Development Minister Erik Solheim and new peace envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer left Sri Lanka yesterday after talks with Government and LTTE representatives.

The Norwegian peace brokers, who travelled to neighbouring India to brief New Delhi on Friday about Oslo's latest peace moves in Sri Lanka, said efforts to hold a fresh round of talks this month were still in place.

"As we see it now the talks in Geneva from April 19 to 21 will go ahead," said Solheim. "There are certain practical issues which are still to be resolved to make this happen."

Before leaving Sri Lanka, Solheim said the two major issues since the February talks were the suspected LTTE involvement in a suicide attack against a Navy boat and LTTE demands that the Government disarm paramilitary units.

"We urge both to stick to the letter of the agreement and deliver on what was promised," Solheim said Thursday. AFP