2ND LEAD (Adds details)

Switzerland welcomes talks, Swiss Ambassador to visit Kilinochchi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 February 2006, 11:16 GMT]
Government of Switzerland in a press release issued from Berne Monday welcomed the decision by the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers to hold talks on February 22-23 and called on "the parties to the conflict to do all within their powers to ensure that the talks can start in a constructive atmosphere." Mr. Hans Brattskar, Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Mr. Bernadino Regazzoni, Switzerland Ambassador to Sri Lanka, will travel to Kilinochchi on Thursday to discuss preparatory arrangements for talks in Geneva with the LTTE Political Head Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan, LTTE Peace Secretariat sources in Kilinochchi said.

Full text of the press release follows:

The Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have agreed to meet on 22 and 23 February 2006 in Switzerland for talks on the implementation of the ceasefire agreement. Switzerland welcomes this decision.

On 25 January 2006, the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE with the facilitation of Norway agreed to hold talks in Switzerland on the implementation of the ceasefire agreement. The talks are expected to take place on 22 and 23 February 2006 in the region of Geneva.

Switzerland welcomes this decision and will do its utmost to ensure that the talks take place in an environment that is conducive to reaching a mutually acceptable solution.

Switzerland also welcomes the reduction in the number of ceasefire violations since 25 January 2006. In view of the events of the last few days, Switzerland calls on the parties to the conflict to do all within their powers to ensure that the talks can start in a constructive atmosphere.