Tracking the Norwegian
Conflict Resolution InitiativeOslo Talks - June 2006
Norway blames EU for Sri Lanka talks crisis Source: AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE 10 June 2006
Norway has blamed the European Union for contributing to a breakdown in talks between Sri Lanka and Tamil Tigers, which has thrown the question of further Norwegian mediation wide open. The rebels Thursday aborted a two- day meeting in Oslo with Colombo representatives arranged by Norway to discuss the safety of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission overseeing a fragile truce.
They said they objected to the presence of EU members in the mission following a decision by the Europeans last month to place rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on its list of terrorist organizations.
"There is no doubt that this is an underlying issue hardening the position of the LTTE prior to the Oslo meeting," said Erik Solheim, Norway's minister for international development.
As Norway pondered its future role after failed talks left their staff on the ground exposed and without explicit backing from the warring parties, it also blamed the two adversaries for their role in the breakdown of talks.
"The parties must take responsibility for the worsening situation," said an angry Solheim Friday.
"They have been acting contrary to our advice. There is at the present time no room for a Norwegian initiative in the peace process."
But Norwegian observers also faulted the EU for offending the rebels at a sensitive time, and doing its own members a disservice at the same time.
"The EU decision was taken on the basis of certain criteria about which organizations should be on the list, without taking into consideration the adverse consequences the decision might have for their own member states," said Stein Toennesson, director of the Oslo Peace Research Institute.
"The EU is not suited for taking positions on acute political problems. It has long been known that the LTTE, through the Norwegian facilitators, has tried to avoid ending up on the EU terror list."
The rebels called for removal of truce monitors from EU states, which observers in Norway said would reduce the mission to 20 peacekeepers from nearly 60 now.
Norway, which has been Sri Lanka's peacebroker since January 2000, was also accused by the Tigers of focusing too much on arranging a face-to-face meeting rather than discussing truce issues.
Diplomats said the failure of Norway's latest efforts have fuelled fears the island could return to full-scale hostilities.
More than 680 people have been killed since December despite a truce.
|
Australian Tamil Broadcasting Corporation Interview