Leader of House meets Norwegian FM :

SL briefs Norway on reconciliation efforts

Leader of the House Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told the Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store that several billion rupees have been spent on infrastructure development and livelihood support and also for the programmes to uplift the quality of lives of the people of the North and East out of local funding.

The minister was leading a high level delegation to Oslo which also included Environment Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa.

The visit was pursuant to the bi-lateral meeting between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Prime Minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg, in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

The ministerial delegation also had meetings with Erik Solheim, Minister of International Development and Environment and Morten Høglund representing the Leader of the Opposition and the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence on the October 14, 2011.

The two Ministers were accompanied by Ambassador, Rodney M. Perera, , Deputy Chief of Mission C.V. Rajapakse and First Secretary of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Oslo Ms. Shani Calyaneratne-Karunaratne.

Immediately upon arrival in Oslo, the two ministers visited the Oslo Cathedral and paid floral tributes to the victims of the twin terror attacks of July 22, 2011.

The same evening, the ministers were hosted to dinner by the Norway - Sri Lanka Business Council.

The ministers briefed in detail to Norwegian Foreign Minister and his delegation with regard to the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts of the government of Sri Lanka with a special focus in the Northern Province. The ministers stated that several billion rupees have been spent on infrastructure development and livelihood support and also for the programs to uplift the quality of the lives of people in the North and East out of local funding.

The Sri Lankan delegation thanked the Norwegian Government for the assistance extended to Sri Lanka for some of these programmes.

They also briefed the Norwegian Foreign Minister that restrictions on fishing had been fully withdrawn and people in the Northern peninsula are happily engaged in agriculture and fisheries and other areas of livelihood fully thereby contributing to the national economy. The schools and the government buildings devastated as a result of terrorist activities have been rehabilitated in several areas and new schools and hospitals constructed to deliver a better service in the sphere of health and education.

The Sri Lankan delegation emphasized that the emergency regulations have been totally lifted and checkpoints and road blocks have been removed and people are free to travel to any part in the Northern Province without any restrictions.

In the area of reconciliation, the government of Sri Lanka has taken several commendable steps towards this process. More than 10,000 ex LTTE combatants have been rehabilitated and reintegrated in to the society after giving them vocational training. Currently there are only less than 800 former LTTE cadres under custody suspected to have been engaged in terrorist activities awaiting the conclusion of investigations.

The Indian government is assisting with a fifty thousand housing programme, already under way for the benefit of displaced persons.

Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva further informed the Norwegian delegation that, under the guidance of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris, Rajiva Wijesinha M.P., Sajin Vas Gunawardena M.P. and himself have been engaged in a talks with a TNA delegation on various issues.

He also stressed that a motion has been submitted to Parliament for the purpose of establishing a parliamentary select committee to examine and report on these important issues.

The Sri Lankan delegation briefed the Norwegian side regarding several baseless allegations raised by some organizations and groups especially in the international arena and Sri Lanka’s stand in connection with those issues. The delegation informed the Foreign Minister that the LLRC report is due in mid November and Sri Lanka expects the international community to give space and time for Sri Lanka to complete its domestic mechanism without rushing into premature conclusions.

The Foreign Minister of Norway expressed the view that they too would await the release of the LLRC report.

The Sri Lankan delegation further briefed the Norwegian delegation that the Darusman report is based on hearsay information and that it is not an investigative or a reliable report that warrants any serious consideration. It was a report prepared by a panel to advise the UN Secretary General at his own request but with no inter-governmental sanction.

It was pointed out that Sri Lanka had requested the panel members, Amnesty International and other human rights organizations and any other interested organizations to furnish information and give evidence before the LLRC.

This request regrettably has not been honoured by these organizations including the Channel 4.

The Sri Lankan delegation raised their concerns regarding the double standards adopted by some countries and international organizations regarding the issue of accountability.

Minister Silva pointed out that although the LTTE has been banned in many countries including the European Union, Norway has not done so as Norway was the facilitator of the Peace Process some time ago. As Norway is no more playing the facilitator’s role, the minister requested the Norwegian government to consider listing the LTTE as a terrorist organization in Norway.

Dutch authorities have already embarked upon a criminal investigation into the LTTE terror network in the Netherlands with connections to some elements in Norway.

The minister thanked the Norwegian authorities for the co-operation extended to these investigations and emphasized that further co-operation is needed to unearth the illegal activities of the LTTE. He urged that Norwegian soil should not be a breeding ground for the re-grouping of the LTTE to carry out terrorist activities detrimental to Sri Lanka’s national interests.

The Sri Lankan delegation pointed out that the reference made by Anders Berring Breivik, the Norwegian perpetrator responsible for twin attacks of terror on July 22, 2011, to the LTTE in his manifesto is another clear example of the potential influence of terror organizations on such other groups and individuals.

Therefore banning such organizations would be beneficial to security and stability of both countries. The minister brought to the notice of the Norwegian Foreign Minister.

The ministers also welcomed the keen interest taken by the Norway-Sri Lanka Business Match Making Programme and were confident this would bring new investment to Sri Lanka, as well as build a broader business relationship with the Norwegian Business Community. The delegation also appreciated the cultural cooperation programme that is currently under way between Norway and Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan delegation also met Erik Solheim and the parliamentary opposition and briefed them on the current developments in Sri Lanka along the same lines. The ministers briefly interacted with the Sri Lankan community residing in Norway comprising all ethnic and religious backgrounds during the visit.