Co-Chairs meet today

Manjula Fernando

COLOMBO: The Co-Chair group, Norway, US, EU and Japan, will meet in Tokyo today to take stock of the current situation and to do a 'soul searching' of achievements and failures up to date.

The group which will meet at a crucial juncture is expected to discuss mainly the situation in the North and East and the next round of talks to which the Government had been trying hard to get the LTTE's consent to participate, for the past few months.

Since the groundbreaking Tokyo Donor Conference in June 2003 where the international community pledged Rs. 4.5 billion as development assistance for the entire country, the Co-Chairs meet from time to time to review the progress of the peace process.

Funds were pledged on the premise that there will be steady progress in the peace process. Meanwhile, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official told the AP in Tokyo yesterday that the Co-Chairs are expected to urge the LTTE and the Government to take necessary action to stop the escalation of violence after their one-day meeting today.

Japanese Special Envoy Yasushi Akashi, Norway's International Development Minister Eric Solheim, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Richard Boucher and Deputy Director General of EU Commission for External Relations Herve Jouanjean will attend the meeting.

Akashi following his four-day visit to Colombo in early May said at today's meeting they will be assessing whether they were on the right path to peace. "We will assess the progress where we started, where we are going and where we should be going." Referring to the Peace Process he said "There are achievements, but many set-backs," adding that they will also weigh whether they have done anything wrong in their efforts to help Sri Lanka achieve peace.

Meanwhile, Indian diplomatic sources brushed off the idea of an elevated role for India in the Co-Chairs meeting saying there was no formal invitation for India by the Japanese Envoy when he visited India following his four-day visit here, as reported in the media.

However, authoritative sources went on that despite an additional role in the peace process, India will be committed to extend its hand to Sri Lanka under its Defence Cooperation Pact.

The sources said Sri Lanka is at the top of its military training list. The diplomat however, declined to divulge more details of their defence assistance.

India is also playing a leading role, advising the government on a final solution to the ethnic conflict, i.e necessary constitutional changes to be brought in for a suitable Federal structure which is very much being discussed at the time.