What had only been conceded informally earlier, finally became official on 16 February when visiting Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek announced in Colombo that his country had accepted the task of acting as thirdparty intermediary to help resolve one of South Asia's longest civil wars. Norway will work towards bringing Sri Lanka's predominantly Sinhala People's Alliance (PA) government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) together for a dialogue aimed at bringing in a negotiated settlement to the island's ethnic crisis.
An official communique quotes Vollebaek as saying: "The conflict in Sri Lanka can only be solved by political means. A basis for a dialogue must be established between the parties. Upon a request from the president and following a wish from the LTTE, I have today informed the president that Norway is willing to accept the challenging task of trying to bring the parties together in such a dialogue. We have also discussed modalities for commencing direct talks. This places a heavy responsibility on the parties themselves. I am encouraged by the expressed willingness to seek a politica solution. However this will take time. It will be difficult. It will require courage and sacrifice and it will require the necessary political will from the parties."
It is quite apparent from the Norwegian minister's comments that he has no illusions about the task he has been entrusted with. The Scandinavian country has a tremendous reputation for having helped resolve some of the world's most intractable conflicts, ranging from Palestine to Guatemala, and Vollebael himself is well versed in the art of peacemaking But this is the first time that the Norsemen have sailed into the turbulent seas of a South Asian conflict, and the nuances and parameters 0f the Sri Lankan situation comprise an imbroglo that may prove tough to untangle for even those most experienced at brokering peace. But that is yet to be seen.
Prior to visiting Colombo, Vollebaek me with LTTE political adviser and theoreticiar Anton Balasingham in London for a 115-minite one-on-one meeting, and they are expected to interact once again to finalise the modalities concerning the government-LTTE dialogue Tentative procedures envisage the preliminary round to take place within three months, either in London or in Oslo, and if the LTTE wants to fly out delegates from Sri Lanka for the talks Colombo is obliged to provide all assistance and security for it. Neither side is to imposes any pre-conditions and a ceasefire will be announced only after the initial discussions. Both sides, however, are expected to undertake mutual confidence-building measures, create a conducive climate on the ground and gradually de-escalate the conflict as a prelude' to direct negotiations. The talks are expected to conclude within 14 months.