India fully backs peace: Solheim

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, MARCH 24. The Norwegian special envoy, Mr. Erik Solheim, who has been trying to bring the Kumaratunga Government and the LTTE together for negotiations, has said in an interview to The Hindu that contrary to speculation, he was convinced the Indian Government was fully supportive of the peace process in Sri Lanka.

``I met the Indian Foreign Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, in Delhi last week. He asked Norway to continue our efforts and told us not to stop even if there are setbacks and difficulties. India has no hidden agenda in Sri Lanka. We are one hundred per cent convinced that India is doing whatever it can to contribute to peace in the island,'' he said on Friday over telephone from Oslo.

He said India was willing to draw a line of distinction between the ban on the LTTE on its soil from its participation in peace talks in Sri Lanka. ``The proscription of the LTTE in India is an entirely internal matter for India. But, of course, India acknowledges that peace can only be established if the Government of Sri Lanka talks with the LTTE, and that is exactly why India supports our modest efforts.''

Delhi kept informed

Mr. Solheim, who has been spearheading the Norwegian facilitatory efforts in Sri Lanka since last May, said he had kept India informed about all major steps and ``got useful advice from a country with much deeper knowledge about the region than Norway can ever dream of''.

Recent reports in the Sri Lankan press have indicated that India had objected to the inclusion of certain countries in an international committee to monitor confidence-building measures to be implemented before talks got under way. Mr. Solheim said the composition of a monitoring committee, if the need for one arose, was a matter for the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to decide.

But in an indication that it was a potentially tricky issue, he added: ``Norway is a trusted friend of India. I see no reason, if such a situation arose and anyone asked us to suggest countries, why Norway should propose countries to any such committee in the future that would be an offence to India.''

Asked if he was convinced that the LTTE had given up its demand for a separate state, Mr. Solheim said the idea in trying to bring the two parties to the table was that they should themselves sort out such issues. ``The conflict in Sri Lanka has lasted very long and is extremely complicated and can never be resolved by Norway. The Government and the LTTE have to talk directly and then try to find the solutions. There are no quick fixes and talks will certainly be protracted. But talking is much better than fighting.''

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