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Colombo snaps Oslo’s peace role

— Photo: AFP

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa (right) presents a gift to a wounded sailor at a hospital in Colombo on Monday. His wife Shiranthi and Navy chief Wasantha Karanagoda (2nd R, background) are also seen.

COLOMBO: Angry over the failure of the Norwegian government to prevent an attack on its mission premises in Oslo by a pro-LTTE group on Sunday, Sri Lanka on Monday announced that it was “no longer feasible” for Norway to act as a facilitator in the engagement with Sri Lanka.

The decision to de-recognise Norway as the official facilitator of peace talks came even as the LTTE ignored the 48-hour pause in the offensive by the military. On Sunday night, President Mahinda Rajapaksa directed the security forces to halt the offensive in the North to facilitate safe passage of an estimated 50,000 to 1,00,000 civilians trapped in the No Fire Zone (NFZ).

Colombo communicated its decision to Norway formally after lodging a strong protest over the attack in Oslo. Norway was invited as the official facilitator for peace talks late in 2001 by the Chandrika Kumarantunge government.

LTTE, though a banned outfit in 2001, had welcomed Norway’s role. It was Norway that brokered the 2002 Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) between the government led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the LTTE in 2002. The CFA became virtually defunct in 2006 after formal talks between the two sides collapsed at the end of sixth round of talks.

The Rajapaksa government abrogated the CFA in January 2008 after the Tigers had violated its provisions over 4,000 times. However, the government clarified that Norway’s position was not linked to the CFA.

In January 2009, the Rajapaksa government formally proscribed the LTTE after the Tigers failed to respond to a 48-hour deadline to let the trapped civilians in the war zone cross over to the government-controlled territory.

Recent reported moves by Norway to facilitate contacts between the LTTE and U.N. Secretary-General Special Envoy and the Sunday attack seem to have proved to be the last straw. The Foreign Ministry said here in an official protest lodged with the Norwegian Ambassador the government deeply regretted that Oslo had failed in discharging its obligations under international law, consequent to its sheer neglect in the provision of adequate security to the Sri Lankan mission. It said Sri Lanka expected Norway to act swiftly to provide adequate security for the mission and its staff. Separately, in a statement the Norwegian Embassy here said Oslo strongly condemned the attack and had instructed the police to strengthen security at the premises. “The police are investigating the crime and will do its utmost to bring the culprits to justice. The police express regrets that they did not have enough personnel present when the demonstration came out of control”.

Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry said the LTTE, which continued to occupy the NFZ keeping entrapped civilians as hostages, directed sniper gunfire towards troops on Monday killing a soldier at a distant defensive position in the general area of Puthukkudiyiruppu. It said another soldier was injured in artillery gunfire.

The Ministry said hours after declaring the humanitarian pause, the Tiger cadre stormed a remote village at Buttala and massacred nine civilians including an infant.

The pro-LTTE TamilNet meanwhile charged the Army with firing shells killing at least 23 civilians between 8:30 p.m. Sunday to 8:00 a.m. Monday.

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