Government conveys Norway Ambassador to correct Solheim’s statement

The government of Sri Lanka has made a strong request from the Norwegian Ambassador to correct of factually incorrect and misleading statement the Norwegian minister for International Development has made in Brussels.

Norwegian Ambassador is reported to have expressed his regret in respect of this matter to the government through Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva. But Norwegian Ambassador Hans Bratskar has said that he cannot release a press statement to give a corrected version of the distorted and incorrect story of the Mr. Erik Solheim.

He ahs though told the government representatives headed by Mr. Nimal Siripala De Silva if a media firm demanded an explanation about it he could make a statement with the necessary corrections.

Mr. Nimal Siripala De Silva who met Norwegian Ambassador Hans Bratskar yesterday (14) morning has strongly questioned about a minister of Norwegian Government making such baseless and irresponsible statements about an internal problem in another country. Minister Nimal Siripala has reportedly protested to the Norwegian Ambassador about interpreting a terrorist camp located in Sencholai as a school, taking the government and Tiger terrorists on par in status, naming a venue and the dates without the knowledge of the government, saying that the government is prepared to commence negotiations without any pre conditions and interference beyond the diplomatic limitations in his dealings with the sovereign state of Sri Lanka.

Minister Nimal Siripala has meanwhile challenged the Norwegian Ambassador to elicit a statement form the Tigers organization to the effect that they would come to negotiations without any pre-conditions, commit them selves to safeguard the ceasefire Agreement in the real sense of the word and abstain in any form of terrorist acts in future. Our sources say that the role of Norway as a facilitator in the peace process between the two parties was discussed at length in this meeting.

Present in this discussion were the secretary to the ministry of foreign affairs Mr. H.M.D.S. Palahakkara and the first secretary of the Norwegian embassy Mr. Eric Burenberg.

Minister Nimal Siripala has also requested the Norwegian Ambassador to enlighten the Co-Chairs about the real situation in Sri Lanka.