Sri Lankan peace process, deadlocked for nearly eight months now, is set to resume, with a three-member Norwegian delegation arriving here for consultations with the government. The delegation, headed by Norway's deputy foreign minister Vidar Helgesen, would meet President Chandrika Kumaratunga, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, foreign minister Tyronne Fernando and political party leaders, the state-run 'Daily News' said Wednesday.

Norwegian team, which arrives in Colombo Wednesday night, includes special envoy Erik Solheim and another official, Kjersti Tromsdal. The Norwegians have already met the LTTE's London-based chief spokesman, Anton Balasingham, and are expected to brief the government here on their interaction with the LTTE ideologue.
The peace facilitation efforts are being revived amidst high hopes and in a more conducive atmosphere than last year, as a mutual ceasefire between the rebel group and the security forces is now in force.
Wickremesinghe wrote to his Norwegian counterpart Kjell Magne Bondevik last month for a formal revival of Norway's efforts to bring the two parties to the conflict to the negotiating table. LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran also wrote to Bondevik with a similar request. Bureau Report