Colombo (Sri Lanka), Aug 03: A senior Japanese official arrived in Sri Lanka today ahead of talks with both the government and Tamil Tiger rebel leaders about the stalled peace process. Senior vice foreign minister Tetsuro Yano was scheduled to travel to the Tamil town of Jaffna, 300 kilometers north of Colombo, later today before returning to the capital tomorrow to meet Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and foreign minister Tyronne Fernando, the Japanese embassy said in a statement.

Peace talks between the insurgents and the government broke down in April after the guerrillas accused the government of being slow to resettle thousands of Tamils displaced by the conflict.

The two sides also now disagree over how Tamil-majority parts of the country will be governed.

Japan has been a major contributor of aid to Sri Lanka since the fighting sides signed a cease-fire last year after 19 years of civil war in which about 65,000 people were killed.

Japan also hosted an international aid conference in June where donors pledged US $ 4.5 billion to help to rebuild the war-damaged nation.
Bureau Report