Co-Chairs divided?

(LeN- Nov. 20, 7.00 p.m.)

The diplomatic sources in Colombo have speculated a devision among the co-chairs meeting in Washinton today over present situation in North East. It is said that while America and Japan hold one view, European Union and Norway hold different views.

While European Union and Norway insists that both parties should suspend hostilities, American and Japanese hold opposite views. It is said that Japan and America prepare to maintain a neutral stance at the military operations conducted by the government.

EU countries such a Germany and U.K. have informed the government through their respective diplomatic channels that sufficient food should be sent to Jaffna. The decision to send food through A-9 was a direct outcome of the pressure put through their diplomatic channels.

http://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=3367

இணைத்தலமை நாடுகளுக்குள் பிரிவா?

வடக்கு கிழக்கில் நிலவும் தற்போதைய சூழ்நிலை குறித்து வாசிங்டனில் நடைபெறும் இணைத்தலமை நாடுகளுக்கிடையேயான கூட்டத்தில் பிளவு ஏற்பட்டுள்ளதாக கொழும்பில் உள்ள ராஜதந்திர வட்டாரங்கள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன. அமெரிக்காவும் யப்பானும் ஒரு கருத்தையும் ஐராப்பிய யூனியனும் நோர்வேயும் அதற்கெதிரான கருத்ததையும் கொண்டுள்ளன.

ஐரோப்பிய ஒன்றியமும் நோர்வேயும் தற்போதய தாக்குதல்களை இருதரப்பினரும் நிறுத்த வேண்டும் என்றும், அதேவேளை அமெரிக்காவும் யப்பானும் அரசால் மேற்கொள்ளப்படும் இராணுவ நடவடிக்கை குறித்து சார்பான நிலைப்பாட்டையும் கொண்டுள்ளன.

ஐரோப்பிய ஒன்றிய நாடுகளான பிரி்த்தானியாவும் ஜேர்மனியும் தேவையான அளவு உணவுப் பொருட்கள் யாழ்ப்பாணத்திற்கு அனுப்பப்பட வேண்டும் என தமது ராஜதந்திர வழிகள் ஊடாக தெரிவித்துள்ளன.

A9 ஊடாக பொருட்கள் யாழ்ப்பாணத்திற்கு அனுப்பும் தீர்மானமானது இந்த இராஜதந்திர வழிகளூடாக வழங்கப்பட்ட அழுத்தத்தின் நேரடி விளைவாகும்.

Sri Lanka peace mediators to meet in Washington

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Major donors engaged in efforts to end Sri Lanka's long-running civil war will meet Tuesday in Washington in the latest attempt to revive peace talks between the government and Tamil rebels, the State Department announced.

The four-party group, known as the Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference on Sri Lanka, will discuss ongoing fighting in Sri Lanka and strategies for encouraging the two sides to return to negotiations, the department said in a statement.

Under-Secretary of State Nicholas Burns will host the meeting that will include his counterparts from the European Union, Norway and Japan.

More than 3,300 people have been killed in the past year in fighting between government forces and the Tamil Tigers, despite a truce in place since February 2002.

Norway has been pushing to revive peace talks between the two sides, but the latest effort collapsed last month, sparking fears the country could slip back to the full-scale civil war which cost more than 60,000 lives since 1972.

Participating in Tuesday's meeting will be US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher, European Commission Director General for External Relations Herve Jouanjean, Norwegian Minister of International Development Erik Solheim and Japanese Special Envoy Yasushi Akashi.

The Co-Chairs, the sole international mechanism focused on the peace process in Sri Lanka, last met in Brussels on September 12.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061120/pl_af...us_061120180814

செவ்வாய்கிழமை தான் சந்திக்கிறார்கள் என்று இங்கே சொல்லப்படுகிறது. ஆனால் மற்றைய ஊடகங்களில் 20ம்திகதி திங்கள் கிழமை என்று சொல்லப்படுகிறது.எது உண்மை?

Daily Press Briefing: US State Department on Sri Lanka

Tom Casey, Deputy Spokesman

Washington, DC

November 20, 2006

SRI LANKA: Tokyo Donor’s Conference on Sri Lanka

Strategies to Encourage Peace Process Preliminary Discussions

Ambassador Burns’ Efforts International Community Believes This Process Needs to Move Forward

Excerpts only on Sri Lanka:

QUESTION: A different subject. Do you have a preview of tomorrow's Sri Lanka conference? And also, do you have any readout of Secretary Hill's travels in China?

MR. CASEY: Which do you want first?

QUESTION: Sri Lanka.

MR. CASEY: Let's try Sri Lanka first and then we'll move over to Chris Hill unless there are other Sri Lanka questions.

I think you've all seen the Notice to the Press that we put out a little earlier today. There is going to be a meeting that actually is being hosted starting today and going on into tomorrow of the Tokyo Donors Conference on Sri Lanka. This is the pairing of us and a number of other co-chair representatives, so it's the U.S., Norway, Japan and the EU. And this is basically the main forum that we're using to discuss strategies that the international community can pursue to be able to encourage the peace process in Sri Lanka.

I understand that the last meeting of this took place in September and this is, in effect, a follow-on to that meeting. We will, again, be looking to see what we can do to help move that process forward and we think it's important for the people of Sri Lanka that that peace process does move forward and ultimately leads to a resolution to the longstanding situation in the country.

QUESTION: So (inaudible) meeting today? Because the announcement came out this morning and said the meeting was being hosted tomorrow. So how is it -- what's happening today exactly?

MR. CASEY: There are preliminary discussions taking place today, as I understand it, but the basic -- the lead for the United States on this is Under Secretary Burns.

QUESTION: So the main part of the meeting is tomorrow?

MR. CASEY: I believe that -- I believe they are starting today late afternoon and then continuing on into tomorrow.

QUESTION: Do you have any details on what those strategies might be? Are there any new ones, do you know?

MR. CASEY: I'll leave it to Ambassador Burns and his co-chairs to talk to you all after the meeting. I don't want to try and preview. This is sort of a regular activity that's engaged in. Again, I think we are continuing to share that the international community believes very strongly that we need this process to move forward. And again, we will, as we have at previous sessions, look for ways where we as an international community, and specifically in this format the Tokyo donors conference, can help push that process forward.

QUESTION: Will you release a statement afterwards? Will it be a joint official thing?

MR. CASEY: Well, as you saw from the notice, Under Secretary Burns and his co-chairs will be giving a press conference.

QUESTION: Okay.

MR. CASEY: I'm not sure if there will be a formal written statement that will accompany that or not, but you'll have a chance to hear from them directly about what they've done and their activities there.

Edited November 21, 200619 yr by கந்தப்பு

Why LeN is trying to preview the meeting with a divided co-chairs article?

Who is running LeN? Whats their background?

It is like tamil.net for Sinhalese.

They say it is,

1) Neutral

2) Fast (Only Sinhala version)

3) UNP related

Edited November 21, 200619 yr by saanakiyan

அட பாவிங்களா இவங்களுக்குள்ளும் பிரிவா??????????

"இணைத்தலைமைக்குள் பிளவு" என்ற இச்செய்தி உண்மையானால் அது புலிகளின் அரசியல் சாணக்கியமாகவே கருதப்படும்.

"இணைத்தலைமைக்குள் பிளவு" என்ற இச்செய்தி உண்மையானால் அது புலிகளின் அரசியல் சாணக்கியமாகவே கருதப்படும்.

முற்றிலும் உண்மை எமக்கு எப்படி நோகாமல் ஆப்படிக்கலாம் என்றும் மாவீரர் உரையை எப்படி மாற்றி அமைக்கலாம் என்றும் ஆராயவே இவ்வொன்று கூடல்.ஆனால் ஆப்பை இழுத்தால் என்ன நடக்கும் என்பதையும் யோசிப்பார்கள் ஆக்கும்

அங்கை ஒரு பிழவும் இருக்காது.வெள்ளைகள் எல்லாம் எமக்கு எதிராக் இன்னும் ஏதாவது தடையைக் கொண்டுவருவமா என்று தான் யோசித்திருப்பார்கள்.

முற்றிலும் உண்மை எமக்கு எப்படி நோகாமல் ஆப்படிக்கலாம் என்றும் மாவீரர் உரையை எப்படி மாற்றி அமைக்கலாம் என்றும் ஆராயவே இவ்வொன்று கூடல்.ஆனால் ஆப்பை இழுத்தால் என்ன நடக்கும் என்பதையும் யோசிப்பார்கள் ஆக்கும்

அங்கை ஒரு பிழவும் இருக்காது.வெள்ளைகள் எல்லாம் எமக்கு எதிராக் இன்னும் ஏதாவது தடையைக் கொண்டுவருவமா என்று தான் யோசித்திருப்பார்கள்.

முற்றிலும் உண்மை எமக்கு எப்படி நோகாமல் ஆப்படிக்கலாம் என்றும் மாவீரர் உரையை எப்படி மாற்றி அமைக்கலாம் என்றும் ஆராயவே இவ்வொன்று கூடல்.ஆனால் ஆப்பை இழுத்தால் என்ன நடக்கும் என்பதையும் யோசிப்பார்கள் ஆக்கும்

மன்னிக்கவும் நான் கருத்தைச் சொல்லப் போய் ஆப்பிழுபட்டுட்டேன்

தயவு செய்து திருத்தி விடுங்கள்

வாசிங்டன் மகானாட்டில் இருதரப்பின் மீதும் கண்டனம் தெரிவிப்பு

Sri Lanka, Tamil Rebels Condemned Alike By U.S., EU, Norway

By Judy Mathewson

Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Countries seeking to stop the conflict in Sri Lanka blamed both the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for human rights abuses in the South Asian island nation and for violating a 2002 truce.

``We condemn the continued and systematic cease-fire violations by the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE,'' said a statement issued today in Washington by diplomats from the U.S., Japan, the European Union and Norway. The countries are all donors to Sri Lanka, and Norwegian diplomats have mediated between the warring sides.

The statement, read aloud by Nicholas Burns, the U.S. State Department's political-affairs chief, asked the Tigers to cooperate with a Sri Lankan government plan to send a relief convoy of trucks to the Jaffna peninsula in the country's north.

An estimated 600,000 people on the peninsula have faced food and fuel shortages since August, when fighting between the army and rebels closed the main A9 road to the north. The Tigers yesterday called the government's plan a ``last-minute tactic to placate the international community.''

Differences on the issue of supplying food to the peninsula contributed to the collapse of peace talks last month in Geneva. Those talks were aimed at preventing Sri Lanka from returning to a two-decade civil war that has killed 60,000 people.

Rajika Jayatilake, a spokeswoman at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Washington, declined to comment on the donors' criticism.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa last week appealed to the Tigers to give up their armed struggle.

``Increased violence compelled the government to channel more resources for security and humanitarian relief operations,'' Rajapaksa said Nov. 16 in his 2007 budget speech to parliament.

Development projects such as constructing houses, roads and hospitals are being delayed in rebel-controlled areas including Jaffna, Batticaloa and Trincomalee, he said.

Sri Lanka's $24 billion economy has expanded every quarter since the government and LTTE signed the 2002 cease-fire.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...&refer=asia

Donors condemn Sri Lanka and rebels on violence

WASHINGTON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's main financial donors on Tuesday condemned violence committed by both the government and separatist Tamil Tiger rebels and urged the rivals to restart peace talks and allow humanitarian aid.

The main donors to the Indian ocean island state -- the United States, Japan, Norway and the European Union -- "condemn the continued and systematic cease-fire violations by the government of Sri Lanka and LTTE," they said in a statement.

A litany of military clashes and attacks have killed more than 3,000 civilians, troops and Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam fighters so far this year in a new chapter of the Sri Lanka's two-decade civil war.

After a one-day meeting in Washington, the donors said they "particularly condemn the LTTE for initiating hostilities from heavily populated areas and the government of Sri Lanka for firing into such vulnerable areas and killing and wounding innocent civilians."

Following failed peace talks in Geneva last month, the group said the two sides must commit to sustained peace talks without preconditions.

Both sides should also allow the "immediate, permanent and unconditional opening of the sea and road routes for humanitarian convoys of essential supplies," the donors said.

Many ordinary Sri Lankans fear the violence will escalate now that the island's 2002 truce has disintegrated in all but name. Fighting since the conflict began in 1983 has killed more than 67,000 people.

President Mahinda Rajapakse, elected a year ago, has flatly rejected rebel demands for a separate homeland for minority Tamils in Sri Lanka's north and east, where they already run a de facto state.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N21425263.htm

Mediators condemn Sri Lanka government, rebels over fighting

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Major donors engaged in efforts to end Sri Lanka's civil war condemned the government and Tamil rebels alike Tuesday for human rights abuses and systematic violations of a 2002 ceasefire.

Senior diplomats from the United States, European Union, Japan and Norway issued a statement expressing "alarm" at the ongoing fighting that they said has led to "significant loss of life and widespread human rights violations."

"We condemn the continued and systematic ceasefire violations by the government of Sri Lanka as well as by the LTTE," said the statement, read out by US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns and referring to the rebel Tamil Tiger movement.

The four-party group went on to "particularly condemn the LTTE for initiating hostilities from populated areas, and the government of Sri Lanka for firing into such vulnerable areas and killing and wounding innocent civilians."

They called on both sides to set up demilitarized zones to protect civilians displaced by the fighting.

More than 3,300 people have been killed in the past year in fighting between government forces and the Tamil Tigers, confounding efforts brokered by Norway to revive a truce agreed in February 2002 following 30 years of civil war that left more than 60,000 dead.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/061121/19/11iqn.html