COLOMBO: Worried over the violence in Sri Lanka, Norway, which is facilitating the peace process there, and India are engaged in quiet consultations to defuse the situation.

Officials here confirmed that Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran was in Oslo a few days ago for an exchange of views on the situation in the island nation and to discuss possible ways to de-escalate the crisis.

"India and Norway are perturbed over the unending cycle of violence in Sri Lanka. Mr. Saran made an unannounced visit to Norway last week to review the situation as well as to consider what the Co-Chairs and others engaged in the peace process could do to put a break to the hostilities," a senior official said.

Offensive stepped up

The Sri Lankan military has stepped up its offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), particularly in Trincomalee district, in the last few days. The situation in the Jaffna peninsula is relatively better.

Interestingly, around the time Mr. Saran was in Norway, Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse invited the main opposition, the United National Party (UNP), to join his Government.

According to local media reports, Mr. Rajapakse, in a letter to the UNP leadership, called on the party to join his Sri Lanka Freedom Party-led Government so as to resolve the "crisis" in the country.

The letter was sent on Friday to UNP deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya in the absence of Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was away in Norway. It is believed that Mr. Wickremesinghe was in Oslo for talks with Norway's International Development Minister Erik Solheim and other officials.

JVP's demands

Mr. Rajapakse's appeal to the UNP comes amid reports of the SLFP's difficulty in acceding some demands of the ultra-nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Perumana (JVP).

Among JVP's contentious demands are the abrogation of the Ceasefire Agreement with the LTTE, the rejection of Norwegian facilitation and the de-merger of the Northeast.

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