Oslo, Oct 17: The Sri Lankan peace process is evolving slowly but in the right direction, Norwegian mediator Erik Solheim said following a meeting between Norwegian officials and a delegation of Tamil Tiger rebels here. "It took a lot of time for the war in Sri Lanka to break out ... And the peace process will also take a lot of time. But though it is progressing slowly and in stages, it is going in the right direction," Solheim told reporters yesterday.
The Tamil Tiger delegation has been on a tour of Europe this week that has taken it to Paris, Dublin, Denmark and Norway. The Tigers pulled out of the Norwegian-brokered peace talks in April after accusing the Sri Lankan government of failing to deliver on promises made at six rounds of negotiations since September last year.
The rebels have made the setting up of an interim administrative structure, with them being given a lion's share of the power, a pre-condition to resuming the peace negotiations. The Tamils are expected to present a power-sharing plan by the end of October, after a two-week delay. The plan is a counterproposal to a text presented by the Sri Lankan government in July. Bureau Report