Norway Govt. clarifies role

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, DEC. 28. The Norwegian Government reiterated today that its role in Sri Lanka was not to find a solution to the ethnic conflict, but only to facilitate negotiations between the Government and the LTTE at the request of both the parties.

The clarification came after an interview by the Norwegian Special Envoy, Mr. Erik Solheim, to Doordarshan and reproduced in a newspaper here, in which he reportedly suggested that Sri Lanka should adopt a federal constitution in order to fulfill Tamil aspirations.

The newspaper picked it off a pro-LTTE website, which had projected the interview as a message from the ``Norwegian mediator'' to the Sri Lankan Government.

In a statement, the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Raymond Johansen, said his Government did not want to involve itself in suggesting models for a solution, and that Mr. Solheim had only wanted to point out that various options were available for resolving the crisis.

The statement, however, also pointed out that it ``reiterated the views of the international community as expressed by India, United States, EU and others'' that a separate State was not a ``relevant option'' but at the same time, Tamil aspirations had to be met in a substantial manner.

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Section  : International
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