TNA MPs meet Solheim

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 November 2004, 11:25 GMT]
Norwegian Special Peace Envoy, Mr Eric Solheim, who arrived in Sri Lanka Tuesday morning, met with a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) delegation led by Senior M.P Joseph Pararasingham at the Norwegian Embassy in Colombo, political sources in Colombo said. Jaffna district parliamentarians Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, Ms Padmini Sithamparanathan, S. Gajenthiran, and Suress Premachchandran accompanied Mr Pararajasingham to the meeting.

Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Hans Brattskar also participated in the meeting.

Mr Pararajasingham told TamilNet that the discussions focussed on the urgent need to commence talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers. TNA delegation pointed out to Mr Solheim the GoSL's lack of concern in moving the peace progress forward.

"Sri Lanka's President," the MPs told Solheim, "is conducting a international misinformation campaign saying that the Tigers are refusing to come to the negotiating table. The truth, however, is that the GoSL is delaying the talks. Ms Kumaratunge is preoccupied with the question of changing the Constitution to perpetuate her in power, rather than find a solution to the Tamil national question."

The TNA delegation also expressed their concern of the increasing opposition in southern Sri Lanka to the peace process and to Norwegian facilitation.

Pararajasingham told Mr Solheim that Tamils in NorthEast expect the talks to begin based on the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposals and agreement reached for ISGA's immediate implementation. Sri Lanka Government also should not violate the Ceasefire Agreement by continuing to occupy public buildings and houses of civilians.

Solheim Today morning had separate discussions with Leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, Rauf Hakeem.