WITH ALL ALLEGED FAULTS OF THE NORWEGIAN PEACE MONITORS PRESIDENT KUMARATUNGA DOES NOT WANT TO DISCONTINUE THEM
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles
October 28, 06.30 PM: Presidential spokesman Janadasa Peiris said President Chandrika Kumaratunga would not ask the Norwegian Peace initiative to be ended or to stop implementing the Ceasefire Agreement with the LTTE although she had asked the Prime Minister of Norway to remove the Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission for allegedly leaking information to the LTTE in a manner detrimental to the national security of Sri Lanka.
President Chandrika Kumaratunga wrote to the Prime Minister of Norway, Kjell Magne Bondevik requesting him to remove from the Head position of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) the retired Norwegian Major General, Tryggve Tellefsen
Commenting on the reply received by the President from the Norwegian Prime Minister Janadasa Peiris said, he had indicated in his reply that the President’s request was receiving his serious consideration
Janadasa Peiris said the October 24 dated reply from Norway indicated that the President’s letter dated October 23 was receiving serious consideration and the matter had been handed over to the Norwegian Foreign Minister to address the issue on a priority basis.
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna who are engaged in unity talks to built up an electoral alliance with the President’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party, instead demanded that that the controversial role of Oslo in Sri Lanka’s peace be immediately ended as they alleged that the main focus of the Norwegian Mission was to drag the LTTE to a military victory rather than installing peace in Sri Lanka.
Though the allegations of the Sri Lanka’s Navy that encouraged the President’s letter to the Norwegian Prime Minister seemingly indicated the two main opposition parties who were clashing with each other on Norway’s role was drawn closer by common allegations President Chandrika Kumaratunga became adamant and said they be continued as peace brokers.
The JVP was strongly of the view that though individuals were changed the mission would continue to play a role in favor of the rebel separatist group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
