SCOPP and SLMM discuss peace -building initiatives

COLOMBO: The Secretariat for Co-ordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) held their regular weekly meeting on Thursday. The SLMM expressed concern about reports of continued abductions and disappearances in the East. SCOPP said it would look into the matter.

In response to an earlier request for updates on the IDP situation in the Mannar area, the SCOPP explained that it was not feasible to give a predetermined time for the return of civilians to their original places of residence because their return would have to be effected after their safety is ensured.

The SCOPP informed that the Security Forces are in the process of reconstructing local infrastructure and the area may need de-mining. The SCOPP and the SLMM agreed that agricultural cultivation was important for the civilians in the region.