Norway is pulling out of efforts to restart talks between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels until the country's president and prime minister settle their political dispute, Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen said yesterday.
"We are going home to wait," Helgesen said. "In the current political situation, holding talks will be impossible."
Norway has been instrumental in Sri Lanka's peace process, brokering a ceasefire in February last year between the government and the Tigers and helping to launch six rounds of peace talks. But those talks have been on hold since April, with the rebels demanding broader interim autonomy.
Norwegian mediators came to the country this week in hopes of setting the stage for new talks on resolving a conflict that has left 65,000 people dead since 1983.
But the country is embroiled in a power struggle between the prime minister -- who has sought to negotiate a lasting peace with the rebels -- and the president who alleges the prime minister has made too many concessions.
President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Nov. 4 wrested control of the ministries of defense, interior and information from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as part of their dispute. She also suspended parliament and briefly imposed emergency rule.
The two disagree on how to negotiate with the rebels, and Wickremesinghe's government said earlier this week that any efforts to restart peace talks must wait until the political crisis is resolved. The Norwegians yesterday echoed that sentiment.
"There has to be clarity on the ground for the peace process to resume, but there is none at the moment," Helgesen said.
There was no immediate comment yesterday from either the government or the rebels.
Kumaratunga rejects the rebels' demand for an interim administration, saying it amounts to a virtual separation from the rest of the country. The prime minister says that greater autonomy is open for discussion at peace talks.
Central to their dispute is who controls the Defense Ministry, because most ceasefire-related issues are under its authority. The prime minister says that unless Kumaratunga hands back control of that ministry, it will be impossible for him to lead the peace process.
Helgesen and special envoy Erik Solheim met with rebel leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran behind closed-doors in Kilinochchi on Thursday, and Tiger representatives later pledged to abide by the ceasefire despite the political turmoil.
Prabhakaran founded and leads the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam, launching a violent campaign in 1983 to establish a homeland in the northeast for the country's 3.2 million mostly Hindu Tamils, alleging discrimination at the hands of the mostly Buddhist Sinhalese majority
Helgesen expressed optimism that the guns would stay silent for now, but cautioned that the ceasefire could be undermined.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
Africa has established the continent’s first space agency to boost Earth observation and data sharing at a time when a more hostile global context is limiting the availability of climate and weather information. The African Space Agency opened its doors last month under the umbrella of the African Union and is headquartered in Cairo. The new organization, which is still being set up and hiring people in key positions, is to coordinate existing national space programs. It aims to improve the continent’s space infrastructure by launching satellites, setting up weather stations and making sure data can be shared across
RSS