Sri Lanka Muslims demand separate delegation in peace talks

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 February 2006, 17:41 GMT]
The Muslim Peace Secretariat (MPS) Tuesday made an appeal that a separate Muslim delegation should be allowed not only to participate in the Geneva peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) scheduled to be held in February 22 and 23 but also in the future talks on resolving the national conflict, media sources said.
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GoSL delegation announced for Geneva talks

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 February 2006, 11:14 GMT]
The Sri Lankan delegation to the talks in Geneva would comprise of SL Ministers Nimal Sripala De Silva, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and Rohitha Bogollagama, said Sri Lanka's cabinet spokesman, Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, on Thursday, sources in Colombo said. Talks in Geneva between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are scheduled for 22-23rd February.
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Truce talks in Geneva on February 22

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 February 2006, 15:34 GMT]
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Monday evening informed the press that the parties to the conflict in Sri Lanka, the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, have asked Norway to facilitate talks in Geneva from 22 to 23 February. The announcement comes following the meeting between the Norwegian International Development Minister Mr. Erik Solheim and the Liberation Tigers Chief Negotiator and Political Strategist Mr. Anton Balasingham in London, and Mr. Solheim's consultations with the Government of Sri Lanka following his meeting with Mr. Balasingham.
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Solheim to meet Balasingham Monday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 February 2006, 16:36 GMT]
Norway's Minister of International Development, peace envoy, Erik Solheim, is scheduled to meet LTTE's Chief Negotiator and Political Strategist Mr. Anton Balasingham at Balasingham's London residence Monday, sources in London said. Norwegian Minister is expected to announce the date of the talks in Geneva between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers after the meeting, diplomatic sources in Colombo said.


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TRO abductions, GoSL response may stall Geneva talks - TNA

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 February 2006, 14:10 GMT]
"We are concerned that the continued deterioration of ground situation in the NorthEast and the abduction of TRO staff members by paramilitaries can potentially prevent Liberation Tigers' participation in Geneva talks," said Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians after a meeting with Head of the LTTE Political Wing, S.P Thamilchelvan at the LTTE Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi at 11 a.m. Saturday. "Colombo has openly attempted to discredit the LTTE by making misleading statements to the International Community on the recent abductions of TRO staff by the paramilitary cadres," they added. The meeting lasted for more than three hours sources in Kilinochchi said.
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Reconstruction of 13,000 houses in NorthEast to begin

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 February 2006, 03:13 GMT]
The World Bank funded North East Housing Reconstruction Programme (NEHRP) has commenced the second phase reconstruction of 13000 houses for the war victim families in the NorthEast. NEHRP officials started distributing forms to collect necessary data to select qualified beneficiaries affected by the two decade-old war in the province to be included in the second phase, a press release of the NEHRP said.
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Paramilitaries abduct 5 TRO staff in Welikande

[TamilNet, Monday, 30 January 2006, 19:54 GMT]
"Five (5) staff members [of Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO)] travelling from the Batticaloa office to Vanvuniya for training have been stopped by unidentified paramilitary personnel immediately after the Welikanda, (Polunnaruwa District) Sri Lankan Army Checkpoint at approximately 2:00 pm 30 January, 2006," TRO said in a press release issued Monday.
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Tamil farmer shot dead in Lingapuram

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 January 2006, 12:34 GMT]
Unidentified persons shot dead Mr.Thambiah Jeyarajah (50), father of six children Saturday night around 9.30 p.m.while guarding his paddy crop in Lingapuram, a Tamil village in Seruvila division, down south of Trincomalee district. He was the second Tamil farmer killed in Lingapuram within two weeks' period, Police sources said.


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EU commends Solheim, welcomes LTTE, GoSL agreement

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 January 2006, 15:39 GMT]
The European Union welcomed the agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the LTTE to have talks in Geneva, and praised Norway's Minister of International Development, Erik Solheim, for his "longstanding and untiring efforts" for peace in Sri Lanka, in press release issued Friday. The office of Julian Wilson, Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Sri Lanka and the Maldives in Colombo, issued the release.


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UK welcomes LTTE, GoSL agreement

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 January 2006, 11:35 GMT]
The British Foreign and Commonwealth office in a press release issued Thursday welcomed the agreement between Liberation Tigers and the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to talks and said the British Government "strongly appreciates and supports the efforts of Erik Solheim and his Norwegian colleagues in their important facilitation work.”
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LTTE, GoSL to hold talks on truce implementation in Geneva

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 January 2006, 08:23 GMT]
Liberation Tigers said Wednesday that they have agreed to hold talks in Geneva with the Government of Sri Lanka on "smooth implementation" of the February 2002 Cease Fire Agreement. Chief Negotiator and Political Strategist of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. Anton Balasingham, told reporters that the talks, expected to begin in mid-February, would be limited to the implementation of the truce which has come under increasing strain recently. Talks on further matters could only take place after complete cessation of the Sri Lankan military's violent repression of the population in Government held areas of the Northeast, he said.
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LTTE, GoSL dialogue imperative for peace, says Burns

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 January 2006, 16:17 GMT]
"We hope that the LTTE will understand that it will have no relationship with my government and, indeed, no effective relationship with any country in this world as long as it seeks to redress its own grievances through the barrel of a gun. Now, we understand the Tamil community here has legitimate grievances, and legitimate issues that ought to be addressed by the government. And there out to be a dialogue, a better dialogue, between the government and the Tamil community," said US Undersecretary of Political Affairs, Nicholas Burns, in a press briefing in Colombo Monday.
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JHU demands Colombo to stop Balasingham's visit

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 January 2006, 11:30 GMT]
The Sinhala nationalist party of Buddhist monks, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), Wednesday demanded the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to stop the visit of Chief negotiator and political strategist of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Mr.Anton Balasingham , to Killinochchi. Venerable Athuraliya Rathana Thera, parliamentary group leader of the JHU addressing a press briefing Wednesday in the parliamentary complex said the present government is also trying to hand over the sovereignty of the country to the LTTE in the cover of peace process, parliamentary sources said.
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TRO responds to media reports

[TamilNet, Monday, 16 January 2006, 12:37 GMT]
"The false allegations, complete fabrications, and twisting of facts reported in the articles are a weak attempt to malign the largest and most efficient NGO in the NorthEast. It appears that there is a coordinated malicious campaign by pro-government, anti-Tamil forces to malign TRO and the work that it performs. It is also disturbing that the increased levels of propaganda correspond to the diminished levels of peace discourse in Sri Lanka," said Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), an NGO registered with the Government of Sri Lanka, in a press release issued from Colombo Monday.
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Peace Group calls for urgent talks on CFA

[TamilNet, Thursday, 12 January 2006, 12:24 GMT]
Peace Support Group (PSG), a group consisting of civil society peace activists, expressed "deep sorrow and concern" at the escalation of violence in the NorthEast, reiterated the necessity to "return to direct talks as a matter of the utmost priority," and called upon the Government of Sri Lanka and Liberation Tigers "to affirm their commitment to the maintenance of law and order in the areas under their control, and take all steps to prevent a return to armed hostilities," in a press release issued in Colombo Monday.
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Solheim calls for urgent talks

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 December 2005, 11:25 GMT]
Norwegian Development Minister Mr. Erik Solheim on Tuesday expressed concern at the recent acts of violence including shooting of civilians near Jaffna University, attacks on Sri Lankan Military personnel and civilians, Claymore attacks, violence against Muslims and the assassination of parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham during Mass on Christmas Eve, and urged the two parties to meet urgently to strengthen the CeaseFire Agreement. Attending a one-year Tsunami remembrance event in Oslo on Monday, Erik Solheim has gone on record saying that "Norway was even prepared to take the parties to the moon" if that was the only venue left for talks.
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GoSL handling of paramilitaries, LTTE violence, key issues for Sri Lanka peace, say Co-Chairs

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 December 2005, 21:39 GMT]
The Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference in the final statement after the conclusion of their meeting in Brussels Monday said they recognized that activities of the paramilitary groups are among the causes for the deteriorating situation and urged “the Government to ensure that such groups cease their paramilitary activities, as a demonstration of its commitment to a peaceful way forward.” They also called on the LTTE “to put an immediate end to their on-going campaign of violence and again urge the LTTE to demonstrate their commitment to the Ceasefire Agreement and the peace process,” and warned, “Failure to demonstrate a willingness to change would not be without serious consequences.”
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Ground rules for peace engangement to be clarified during Solheim visit

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 December 2005, 16:34 GMT]
Norwegian Development Minister Erik Solheim is expected to visit Sri Lanka to meet officials of Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam soon. An NTB report filed from Hong Kong on Thursday said that the "ground rules" for the process forward would be decided during this visit.
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US Congressmen decry obstruction to tsunami aid flow to Northeast

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 December 2005, 03:10 GMT]
Pointing out that "obstruction of legitimate help from USAID and private donations for the reconstruction effort in North East Sri Lanka continues," and that "Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has suspended P-TOMS and its future is mired in confusion and controversy," United States Congressmen, Sherrod Brown, Danny K Davis, Patrick Tiberi and Brad Sherman, in a letter addressed to US Assistant Secretary of State Ms Christina Rocca, urged the "State Department to carefully and dispassionately revisit the situation and consider alternatives that would allow relief aid to quickly reach those in desperate need."
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Reopen channels for direct dialogue at local level - SLMM

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 December 2005, 07:48 GMT]
Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission on Tuesday urged the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to reopen the channels for direct dialogue at the local level to diffuse the situation in the NorthEast. The attacks that have taken place over the last few days must stop immediately if the peace process is to move forward, the SLMM statement said. Colombo, on Monday, declined permission to the Jaffna commander of the Sri Lanka Army to proceed with the SLMM facilitated meeting in Muhamalai no man zone with the LTTE's political head in Jaffna.
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