ERIK SOLHEIM FLIES TO SRI LANRA TO RESOLVE THE CONFLICT BETWEEN WARRING FACTIONS OF THE LTTE
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles
March 09, 10.45 PM: Erik Solheim the Special envoy of Norway and close friend of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eeelam (LTTE) Supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran will fly to Sri Lanka to resolve the conflict between the Tamil Tiger leader and the group’s renegade Eastern military leader Col. Karuna, political sources IN Colombo reported.
Both Erik Solheim and the Norwegian Embassy have been attempting to make peace between both factions although resolving factional quarrels among the LTTE has not been part of the mandate given to Norway , in regard to the peace process in Sri Lanka. Sources said, in fact, they were appointed to facilitate the peace process between the government of Sri Lanka and the rebel group LTTE.
Erik Solheim , former Marxist parliamentarian , had been always criticized by the Opposition of Sri Lanka of being partial to the Tamil rebel group.
Opposition sources in Colombo said that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Norwegian authorities in Colombo and Erik Solheim were very keen in bringing about peace between Prabhakaran and Karuna factions since their unity and their power behind the Tamil National Alliance was the key to the success of the Prime Minister’s political future in Sri Lanka. Many attempts had been made on behalf of the Wickremesinghe’s government and the Catholic Church to bring about a reconciliation between the warring parties, sources said.
Meanwhile LTTE’s political leader P.Thamilselvan denied reports stating that a number of troops had been discharged to the East with the intention of the assassination of Karuna. He accused Karuna of spreading a lie and said Karuna was spreading these lies because he was aware of the crimes he had created and he was now afraid of them.
