Germany wants peace conditions on Sri Lanka aid

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 December 2006, 18:04 GMT]
The international community should make further assistance to Sri Lanka dependent on the resumption of the peace process in the country, German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul was quoted as saying in an interview to be published Sunday.

Ms. Wieczorek-Zeul's interview, which was released a day early and is to be published in Berlin's Tagesspiegel am Sonntag, is to mark the second anniversary of the devastating Tsunami which swept across coastal regions surrounding the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004.

Ms. Wieczorek-Zeul said her ministry had already stopped making new promises to the government in Colombo.

"It would be good, if other western governments would act in the same way," she told the newspaper.

She said that as result of the renewed civil war and the flare up in fighting in Tamil populated areas, no new funds could be allocated.

Consequently, 19 million euros (25 million dollars), which had been intended for Sri Lanka, for the building of houses and education projects was to be redirected to the Indonesian province of Aceh.