EU urges LTTE participation in Tokyo aid talks

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 May 2003, 16:19 GMT]
European Union (EU) resident representative in Sri Lanka Mr.Wouter Wilton Friday arrived in Jaffna on a two-day fact-finding visit. Addressing a meeting held at the office of the Consortium of the Jaffna District Humanitarian Agencies (CJDHA) Friday afternoon Mr. Wilton said that the EU is of the view that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) should participate in the Tokyo aid summit to be held next month, sources said.

EU resident representative further said that the international community is eagerly awaiting for the participation of the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE in the Tokyo aid summit.

"EU will definitely not take a side in the Sri Lankan crisis," EU resident representative assured.

Both parties to the Sri Lanka ethnic conflict should participate in the Tokyo aid talks, which is to be jointly presided by Japan, United State of America, Norway and EU. It is in the hands of the Sri Lankan people to make the LTTE and the GOSL to participate in Tokyo talks.

"A new era will dawn in Sri Lanka if the GOSL and LTTE jointly participate in Japan aid talks forgetting the past," said EU resident representative, sources said.

The President of the CJDHA Mr.K.Paramanathan told the EU resident representative that even after sixteen months since the signing of the ceasefire agreement, normalcy has not returned to the lives of Tamils in the peninsula. Hundreds of thousands of internally displaced are languishing in refugee camps and welfare centres for more than thirteen years as their homes and fertile agricultural lands have been occupied by the State armed forces in the name of high security zones, Mr.Paramanathan pointed out.

Mr.Paramanathan accused the UNF government that it has not taken any constructive steps to resettle the internally displaced families in their lands even after several rounds of peace talks, sources said.

In reply to the CJDHA President's call to remove high security zones, EU resident representative said until alternative sites are found for the relocation of the army camps, the demand to remove HSZ would not succeed, sources said

EU resident representative Mr.Wilton Friday visited Jaffna University, Jaffna Teaching Hospital, Jaffna District Women Development Association and Northern Province Fishermen Co-operative Societies Federation, sources said. He was scheduled to hold discussion with the members of the Jaffna District Chamber of Commerce Friday night. He is scheduled to meet the Jaffna journalists Saturday, sources said.