Solheim to host Co-Chairs meeting

COLOMBO: Norway will host a meeting of the Sri Lanka Co-Chairs, which will bring together representatives from the EU, Japan, the US and Norway to assess the current situation in the peace process on Tuesday. The Co-Chairs met the last time was in Washington on November 21 2006.

“It will be a working meeting and follows several recent high-level visits to Sri Lanka,” said International Development Minister Erik Solheim. “This purpose of the meeting is to share information and views.

The Co-Chairs will explore ways and means in which the group, as a whole or as individual countries, can continue helping the parties to cease violence and return to the negotiating table,” Solheim said.

The US will be represented by Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher. Special Representative Yasushi Akashi will represent Japan. Director-General Andreas Michaelis will represent the EU Presidency and Acting Deputy Director-General James Morran will represent the European Commission.