Hakim leaves for Norway, Solheim arrives in Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 May 2003, 17:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader and a minister in the United National Front (UNF) Government Mr.Rauff Hakim Sunday left for Norway. Meanwhile Norwegian special envoy Mr. Erik Solheim arrived in Colombo the same day, government sources said.

Shuttle diplomacy is likely to resume in persuading the LTTE to attend the Japan aid summit next month, diplomatic sources said.

Mr. Erik Solheim is expected to meet the Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe Monday and will hold discussion with the senior government ministers. Thereafter Mr. Solheim is expected to visit Killinochchi to confer with the LTTE leadership, sources said.

Before leaving to Oslo, Minister Mr.Rauff Hakim held discussions with the Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe and Constitutional Affairs Minister Mr. G.L.Peiris. In Oslo Mr Hakim is expected to hold discussions with the Norwegian Foreign Minister Mr.Jan Peterson regarding the resumption of stalled peace talks between the government and the LTTE and the Japan aid summit, SLMC sources said.

In the meantime a senior minister in the UNF government Mr.Milinda Morogoda is to leave for Japan on Wednesday to assure the Japanese government that every thing is being done to resolve the impasse following the temporary withdrawal from the peace talks by the LTTE, government sources said.

Minister Mr.Milinda Morogoda during his stay in Tokyo is expected to hold discussions with the Japanese foreign minister and special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi, government sources said.