Govt to attend Oslo talks on truce monitoring

The talks are to be on the role of the Nordic truce monitors, who have been under attack from Govt and the LTTE, reports PK Balachandran.

Prospects of the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE meeting in Oslo on June 8 and 9, brightened on Wednesday, when the government said that it was appointing Dr Palitha Kohona, Director General of the Peace Secretariat, as its delegate.

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The talks are to be on the role of the Nordic truce monitors, who have been under attack from both the government and the LTTE for a long time now.

The private channel MTV said that Dr Kohona had been appointed at the suggestion of the Norwegian Peace Facilitator, and Norwegian minister, Erik Solheim.

The LTTE is yet to formally announce its decision on attending the talks, but its chief negotiator, Anton Balasingham, told The Morning Leader on Wednesday, that it would attend despite the European Union slapping a ban on it on Monday.

The LTTE, he said, was only waiting for the government to arrange safe and secure transport for its delegation between Kilinochchi and Colombo.