Oslo, Nov 24: Sri Lanka's warring parties are set
for their first European foray here tomorrow with a joint
appeal for cash to help destroy "remnants of war" and earn
credits for their peace drive.
Peace broker Norway is hosting the unprecedented "peace
support meeting" to drum up international political support
for its efforts to peacefully end three decades of fighting
that has claimed more than 60,000 lives.
The historic coming together of the Sri Lankan government and its arch rival, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE), is aimed at signalling their commitment to halt
fighting, a diplomat here said.
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who is
due to address the high-level one-day meet said he expects
more than cash from aid donors and he was banking on political
support for his fragile peace bid.
"The personalities attending the meeting will send a powerful signal," Wickremesinghe said, referring to the participation of US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage
and Britain's minister for international development care short.
Diplomats said Sri Lanka could not expect big money from
the Oslo meeting, but it could set the foundation for a larger
pledging conference Japan has offered to host early next year.
However, the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger in
a 10-page joint appeal said they were desperately in need of
foreign money to resettle up to one million people and remove
an estimated two million mines.
They spoke of "clearing remnants of war" and hinted that
neither side was ready to go back to war, Asian diplomats
said.
Bureau Report
