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Confusion over Oslo’s ‘conditions’
Lanka wants Erik Solheim sidelined
By Dilmini Samaranayake
Norwegian "conditions" to the Sri Lanka government if Oslo is to get re-engaged in the peace process have raised a major quandary - among them Sri Lanka's own "conditions" over the future role of special envoy Erik Solheim and the need to divorce the facilitator from the truce monitor - following the first high-level meeting last Thursday between the two governments since President Mahinda Rajapakse assumed office a month ago.

The Norwegians have taken up the tough line that the Sri Lanka government cannot pin the blame on them whenever the LTTE commits an atrocity or violates the ceasefire, and not to get Oslo to say something which is the job of the truce monitors. Their 'conditions' include a statement of support from the Colombo government in the face of criticism of their role by the government's allies, the JVP and the JHU.

They have made it known that the government of Sri Lanka accept "ownership" of the peace process together with the LTTE without fathering the flip side of it on Norway whenever things go wrong.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, has made it clear that they wanted a new direction from Norway in the way the peace process was handled, and that they opted for the Norwegian foreign ministry to play a role rather than an individual - a direct reference to the controversial role played by Mr. Solheim.
They have asked for clarification if Norway's role was going to be dominated by "same actors" and the process handled in the same manner.

The question has become a thorny issue between the governments, both new in the respective countries, and comes on the eve of the meeting of the peace process Co-chairs consisting of the US, Japan, the EU and Norway beginning tomorrow in Brussels. Mr. Solheim represents Norway at that meeting indicating the fact that he will continue to play a decisive role in the peace process despite his new ministerial responsibilities.

A proposed visit by Mr. Solheim to Colombo next week was put off in the circumstances. The official excuse given was that it would be difficult to set up meetings for Mr. Solheim with President Rajapakse and other senior officials at short notice.

The two Foreign Ministers Mangala Samaraweera and Jonas Gahr Store met in Hong Kong on the sidelines of the WTO Ministerial conference, where the two sides had a tough pow-wow after statements emanated about Norwegian "conditions," to continue facilitating an end to the island's ethnic conflict with Tamil Tiger (LTTE) rebels.

Mr. Samaraweera took a separate Sri Lankan delegation to Hong Kong as Commerce Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle was leading the government delegation for the WTO conference. Included in Mr. Samaraweera's delegation were foreign secretary S. Palihakkara and peace secretariat acting chief John Gooneratne.

Both sides had agreed on the need to clarify each other's stand and role before trying to move the peace bid forward. Asked about the recent comments made by Norway's special envoy to the peace process and her current Development minister Erik Solheim about conditions for Norway to continue, Mr. Store said there was a need to appreciate the role of the facilitator.

However, in an interview the Norwegian Foreign Minister gave the French news agency AFP, Mr. Store reiterated the earlier Solheim remark that his country's continuation would be under strict conditions.

He was quoted as saying "I have underlined…. the framework and the ground rules that have to apply if we are going to be able to play this kind of role."
The interview broke a gentleman's agreement during the discussions that the two sides will not deviate from the contents in the joint statement that was released. In the joint statement Mr. Store was quoted as saying he (Mr. Store) "underlined that the new Norwegian government is fully committed to engage as a facilitator".

The Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry reacted on Friday to deny that Norway had set "conditions". "The references made to certain conditions are misleading as the discussions focused on evolving a fresh approach by the two governments to carry forward the peace process", a statement issued by the Colombo Foreign Office stated.

During the Samaraweera-Store meeting in Hong Kong, Sri Lanka had taken up the role played by the Norwegian-led ceasefire monitors, and asked if they should not "raise their voice" when there is gross violations of the fragile truce. The Sri Lankan side had taken up Wednesday's shooting of an Air Force helicopter. They also said that the peace facilitator and the truce monitors must be independent of each other.

Foreign Minister Samaraweera went on record saying there was a need not to have a "personalized role" by Norway, or for just one person to dominate the scene, a clear reference to Mr. Solheim, and requested that a special envoy be appointed from the Oslo Foreign Office for the peace process. Mr. Solheim is no longer in the Oslo Foreign Office.

The Sunday Times learns that the Norwegian Foreign Minister agreed to this, but said that they would have to ask Mr. Solheim for his recommendations on that request as well.

The government had also asked that the future peace envoy have direct talks with the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran rather than its political wing leader S. P. Thamilselvan, and that issues be raised at the highest levels of the rebel organisation.

The Hong Kong meeting took place as President Rajapakse's government took a U-turn towards the peace process that it vowed to overhaul, including to review the six-year role of Norwegian facilitation.

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