Sri Lanka on Wednesday sought the recall of the Icelandic diplomat, Minister Counsellor Bjarni Vestmann, for visiting the LTTE in the Wanni without prior government clearance.
When Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama took up the matter with his Icelandic counterpart, Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir, the latter "tendered an unqualified written apology" to the government of Sri Lanka, a press release from the Sri Lankan foreign office said.
Gisladottir said that the government of Iceland had not authorised Vestmann to make any contact with the LTTE, but "much to their disappointment," he had. The Icelandic diplomat had met the LTTE's political wing leader SP Tamilselvan in Kilinochchi earlier this week.
Iceland is a contributor of personnel to the Scandinavian-staffed Sri Lanka Ceasefire Monitoring Mission (SLMM).