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Norwegian team discusses 'crucial issues' with Prabakaran

By V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO OCT. 23. The visiting Norwegian team, led by its Deputy Foreign Minister, Vidar Helgessen, today met the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), V. Prabakaran, and discussed "crucial issues'' related to the progress of the ongoing peace process.

The issues taken up for discussion at the meeting, which lasted for more than two hours, included the formation of the joint task force for economic development and the reconstruction of the north-east, as agreed at the first round of talks in Thailand last month. In addition, the "issues underlying the high security zones and the security situation in the northeast'' the TAMILNET Internet news-site said, quoting sources in the rebel-held Vanni districts of northern Sri Lanka.

At today's talks, Mr. Prabakaran was joined by the Tigers' chief negotiator, Anton S. Balasingham, the head of the LTTE's political wing, S.P. Tamilchelvan and the secretary of the LTTE's negotiating team, Adele Balasingham.

Mr. Helgessen was accompanied by the special envoy, Erik Solheim, Oslo's Ambassador in Colombo, Jon Westborg and other Norwegian officials, who are here to prepare the ground for the second round of direct talks, scheduled to be held between October 31 and November 3.

The highpoint of last month's first round of talks was the statement by Mr. Balasingham that the Tigers would be willing to settle for regional autonomy and self-governance as an alternative to a separate Eelam. This was the closest the Tigers got to spelling out their broad expectation of an alternative.

The first round did not take up sensitive issues, including that of high security zones in the north-east, which has come into focus in the last few weeks. Over the past month, there has been "civilian pressure'' on such high security zones, that dot across the north-east. There were three such protests, but the last one, in eastern Sri Lanka, took a turn for the worse when police opened fire and killed at least seven protestors. The LTTE said that these were "spontaneous'' responses from the people. Though such protests have come to a halt after the eastern police firing, the issue of high security zones is bound to engage the attention of the negotiators in Thailand later this month.

The Government has opted for a step-by-step approach and said that it would not like to take on board issues that could derail the peace process.The Opposition, People's Alliance (PA) has called upon the Government to move on to the core issues of the conflict without much delay.

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