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The delegations of the United States and United Kingdom will stay away from the discussion part of the Oslo conference of donor nations to support Sri Lanka’s peace after the Norwegian Foreign Minister and Prime Minister of Sri Lanka make their ceremonial addresses, refusing to sit together with the Terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in discussions. “ At the upcoming Oslo Conference , there will be no meeting between US officials and representatives of the Tigers. The LTTE will also remain in the US foreign terrorist organization list,” the United States announced in Colombo, November 23. After the Norwegian Foreign Minister and Sri Lanka Prime Minister, the US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage would address the ceremonial opening explaining the US policy. Amal Jayasinghe of the French News Agency AFP said in Oslo the delegations of the above countries would stay away from the conference, starting from November 25, when the chief negotiator for Sri Lanka G.L. Peiris and Chief negotiator for the Tamil terrorist group Anton Balasingham start their discussions. “There is a reluctance on their part among these countries who have listed the Tamil group as a terrorist organization to sit with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam,” he said from Oslo, the capital of Norway. India , despite the heavy canvassing done by the special emissary of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Milinda Moragoda, categorically refused to send a political level delegate to the conference. Although Sri Lanka said India’s ambassador in Oslo, Gopalakrishna Gandhi would represent India at the conference it was revealed by the Indian press reports that a lower level diplomat like a first or second secretary of the embassy would take part in the conference. But India definitely ruled out making any contact with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe who arrived in Norway with his delegation met the Chief negotiator of the LTTE, Anton Balasingham, November 24 . This was the first time Anton Balasingham met for the first time with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka after the terrorist group helped to put him in power at the last general elections, observers said. A secret pre-election pact between Ranil’s special emissary, Milinda Moragoda and Anton Balasingham signed in London helped the current UNF government to come to power, a pro-LTTE Tamil daily Suderoli recently revealed. Reports from Oslo said Chief Sri Lanka delegate G.L. Peiris and Anton Balasingham also met each other to discuss about the decisions taken at Thai talks. (EOM) (25/11/02 go2lanka.com) |