New Head of SLMM meets LTTE officials in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 February 2003, 12:49 GMT]
Tryggve Tellefsen, the new head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission(SLMM), a group of Nordic monitors overseeing the year-old truce between Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL), met with officials of the LTTE at the Vavuniya SLMM office, sources said.

Tryggve Tellefsen, the new head of SLMM

In Vavuniya, Tellefsen met K. Ganesh, the Government Agent (GA), S. Elilan, Head of Vavuniya district Political section of LTTE, Kathiravan, Vavuniya LTTE head of administration and Vavuniya district Secretary Moorthy, sources said. Later he visited the head quarters of the Security forces and met with the Sri Lanka military commanders.

Tellefsen expressed satisfaction at the cooperation extended by LTTE and GOSL to the SLMM for proper implementation of the ceasefire and to maintain peace.

Tellefsen visited Mannar region Wednesday and is visiting Vavuniya Thursday to see the ground situation and to educate himself on the duties ahead him when he acceptes leadership of the SLMM on 7 March, sources said.

Tellefsen is expected to continue his fact finding visits to the eastern province.

During his career in the Royal Norwegian Army, Tellefsen commanded a multinational peacekeeping and observer force monitoring Egypt and Israel in 1997-2001, commanded U.N peacekeeping forces in Macedonia in 1994-1995, and was responsible for recruiting and training Norwegian peacekeepers in 1989-1994.
(L-R) Kathiravan, Tellefsen, Elilan, Vavuniya SLLM head Polannen, and Moorthy