Govt concerned over LTTE request on EU monitors

Rashomi Silva

COLOMBO: The Peace Secretariat said it was encouraged by the positive response from the LTTE on Norway's questionnaire but raised concern over the LTTE's request to replace European Union truce monitors with new monitors within a month.

"We are encouraged by the LTTE response, but one has to consider if it is practical to replace EU members with new monitors within a month," said Secretariat for Coordinating Peace Process SCOPP Deputy Chief Kethesh Loganathan. Norway also shares the same view, he added.

He said there are difficulties in identifying countries that are acceptable to both the Government and the LTTE and appointing them within the period the LTTE has mentioned.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Embassy said Norway and the European Union member countries in the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM) are due to meet at the end of this month in Oslo where they will take up the LTTE's refusal to have EU members in the 60-strong truce mission.

Norwegian Embassy spokesman Eric Nurnberg said: "We are expecting to have a discussion with Nordic countries who are also members of The EU (Finland, Sweden and Denmark) on this issue".

The meeting is planned for June 29.

Commenting on yesterday's meeting between the LTTE political leadership and Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar, the spokesman said they are also scheduled to meet SCOPP Chief Dr. Palitha Kohona to discus the LTTE's response.

Nurnberg said the LTTE has raised objections to the presence of the monitors from EU countries and added that as the facilitator they would have to take the LTTE's point of view into consideration.

"All SLMM members have carried out their duties with responsibility," he said, adding the LTTE had stood firm on their stance on the EU monitors. The rest of the monitors are from Norway and Iceland.

Nurnberg while calling the Government's response to the questionnaire as positive declined to comment on the LTTE's response before meeting Government officials and other representatives from the truce monitors.

Meanwhile, sources in Killinochchi said the LTTE has affirmed they would abide by the Ceasefire Agreement and had responded positively to the questionnaire.

Early this month following Norway's abortive attempt to get the LTTE to participate in talks on the SLMM, the Nordic Government forwarded a five point questionnaire to the Government and the LTTE on Norway's role and that of the truce monitors vis-a-vis the peace process.