Norway donor meeting to mull strategy on Sri Lanka conflict

by Amal Jayasinghe
Sun Jun 24, 3:40 AM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070624/wl_sthasia_afp/srilankaunrestdonors_0706240...

COLOMBO (AFP) - Peace-broker Norway is holding a crucial meeting with
Sri Lanka's top aid donors this week in a bid to halt a new wave of
bloodshed, but analysts said they see little prospect of a
breakthrough. ADVERTISEMENT

The formal meeting on Tuesday would follow a preparatory gathering of
officials on Monday in Norway's capital, Oslo, and explore ways of
bringing the government and Tamil Tiger rebels back to peace
negotiations, a Norwegian statement said.

Oslo-brokered peace talks collapsed in October last year and since
then diplomatic efforts have failed to end violence in the bitter
ethnic conflict which has claimed more than 60,000 lives in the past
35 years.

More than 5,000 people have died in the latest wave of fighting since
December 2005 despite a truce in place since February 2002.

"The purpose of the meeting is to share information and views,"
Norway's International Development Minister Erik Solheim said in the
statement.

Four "co-chairs" -- Japan, the US, the European Union and Norway --
would analyse the deteriorating situation since their last meeting in
November, he said.

Richard Boucher, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, and
Japan's special envoy Yasushi Akashi would attend the meeting, the
statement said, while Andreas Michaelis would represent the EU
presidency and James Moran the European Commission.

Norwegian diplomats played down expectations of a breakthrough, saying
they may not even issue a statement at the end of the talks.

Sri Lankan retired top diplomat Nanda Godage said Norway's tone was
expected. "They don't have much room to manoeuvre," he said.

Diplomats said Tuesday's Olso meeting could discuss ways of persuading
the two sides to get back to the table, but using aid as a weapon was
ruled out amid a split between the US and the Europeans on the issue.

The US backs Japan -- which accounts for nearly two-thirds of
bilateral aid to Sri Lanka -- and does not want to stop the cash flow
to the government, arguing that it will eventually hurt ordinary
people.

Japan's special peace envoy to Sri Lanka, Yasushi Akashi, said here
two weeks ago that Tokyo was not prepared to use aid as a weapon even
against a bellicose government.

"We are not comfortable about conditions on aid ... Our help is for
victims of the conflict," Akashi said. "People should not be punished
for actions or policies of their leaders."

Britain and Germany have, however, stopped some of their aid to Sri
Lanka as a pressure tactic.

Even without aid, Sri Lanka earns a comfortable 2.5 billion dollars
annually from its nationals employed abroad, helping to sustain high
defence spending.

Sri Lanka hiked its defence budget by 45 percent for the current year
to an estimated 139.55 billion rupees (1.29 billion dollars).

But the economy slowed to 6.1 percent in the first quarter of the
year, compared to 7.9 percent in the same period last year as
inflation linked to the escalating conflict averaged 19.7 percent.

Defence analyst Namal Perera said government forces were poised to
capture a key rebel stronghold in the island's east this week and the
military establishment was convinced of a victory.

"The priority for the government is to neutralise the Tigers
militarily," Perera said Sunday. "It seems the Tigers are also not
interested in peace talks and are preparing for more fighting."

Officials said Norway was also unable to make direct contact with
Tamil Tigers as the military prevented Oslo's top envoy in Colombo,
Hans Brattskar, from travelling to the rebel-held Wanni region for
consultations.

The military maintained it was unsafe for diplomats to travel to the
de facto mini-state run by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
because of ongoing fighting.