EU Chief Observer Cushnahan visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 March 2004, 18:54 GMT]
European Union Election Observer Mission (EU EOM) Chief Observer Mr.John Cushnahan accompanied by EU Sri Lankan delegation head Mr.Wouter Wilton arrived in Jaffna Sunday morning and held discussions regarding the forthcoming general election with top officials of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) based in the peninsula

John Cushnahan, EU Chief Election Observer

Later he held discussions with leaders of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Eelam Peoples' Democratic Party (EPDP), Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the independent group led by the President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Anandasangaree, at their respective party offices.

Mr. Robert Werner, one of the Long Term Observers (LTO) of the EU EOM posted to Jaffna to observe election was also present during the discussions, sources said.

Mr. Cushnahan later met the Jaffna based journalists Sunday afternoon in the office of the GTZ, a German government development organization.







The EU Election Observation Mission was established in Sri Lanka on March 7 upon the invitation of the Sri Lanka's Election Commissioner. "We have been invited by several political parties to come and observe the general election," said Mr. Cushnahan in reply to a question by journalists.

The EU EOM has decided to deploy six Long Term Observers to Jaffna. Two of them have already arrived in Jaffna. The rest four would arrive in Jaffna Monday and would stay here till the general election is over, sources said.