Norwegian General to head SLMM

Rashomi Silva

OSLO: The Norwegian Foreign Ministry yesterday named its former Army Chief Maj. Gen. Lars Johan Solvberg as the new head of the Sri Lankan monitoring Mission (SLMM).

The appointment will be effective from September 1 with the planned departure of the present chief Ulf Henricsson as the three EU nations Sweden, Denmark and Finland are pulling out from the Swedish led monitoring team.

Maj. Gen. Solvberg is expected to command the 30-strong truce monitoring team with 20 Norwegian monitors and 10 Icelandic monitors. He retired from the Army as the chief of Staff last year after holding different staff and command positions. The 57-strong SLMM is expected to lose nearly two thirds of its present strength with the planned departure of EU monitors.

The Government said they have initiated talks with different Asian and some other EU countries on sending monitors here.

"Some Asian and even some EU countries have shown their willingness to send manpower to the monitoring team here," said Government defence spokesman and Plan Implementation Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.

Norwegian Embassy said it expects to bring back the SLMM to its present strength soon and will have discussions with all the stakeholders including the Government and the LTTE.