Norway explains peace role

The following is an interview given to the BBC by Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen as his country announced it was putting on hold its mediation in Sri Lanka's conflict until the president and prime minister had resolved their power struggle:

Vidar Helgesen: We find that the single impediment now for resuming talks is the political crisis in the south. Norway has no role in the political crisis in the south. So we have exhausted our opportunities. The peace process, by itself, is in a fundamentally good shape. But it is now for the government side of the peace process to produce clarity and until such clarity is produced Norway has no further efforts to make.

BBC correspondent Frances Harrison: So does that mean you are suspending your role in Sri Lanka?

A: We have responsibilities in terms of monitoring the ceasefire agreement with the Nordic monitoring group who will continue on that front. But there is nothing more we can do fundamentally because the peace process is fundamentally sound . There is a clear movement back to the negotiating table, if and when the political crisis in the south is resolved, so that it's clear who will represent the government's side.

Q: So would you say that the peace process is now on hold?

A: Yes, I would say it's on hold. The ceasefire agreement is being respected. All concerned parties and players have confirmed their commitment to the ceasefire. We hope that will be sustained. But it is going to be hard to sustain a ceasefire in the absence of a political process. That is why we hope the political crisis in the south will be resolved as soon as possible.

Q: The international community has pledged $ 4.5bn for the reconstruction of Sri Lanka. How concerned are you that that might now be lost because it's tied to progress in the peace talks?

A: I'm very concerned. We see lots of critical situations around the world. There is competition for donor funding and donors are more prone to supporting positive processes in order to sustain progress. There are signals now that donors are adopting a wait-and-see attitude which can be critical for Sri Lanka.

Q: How worried are you that some ceasefire violation might almost accidentally propel this country back to war again?

A: Well, I'm confident as regards the willingness of the key players to sustain the ceasefire. But clearly there is a risk when there are no negotiations taking place, when there is a freeze in the peace process, that minor sparks, minor problems in the ceasefire might spark off bigger problems. That is our primary concern actually.

Q: The Tamil Tigers recently came up with a proposal for power-sharing in the north-east. It was the first time they'd put down a compromise in writing. How worried are you that this is a missed opportunity for Sri Lanka?

A: It is an opportunity. It should be grasped as soon as possible. The fact that the Tamil Tigers have presented their own document is actually historical. We have no comments and views on its substance. But we feel that the government's proposal of last summer and the Tamil Tiger proposal from some weeks back, together provide a good basis for resuming negotiations and that is the view of all the concerned parties. So we hope that the political crisis in the south can be resolved as soon as possible so the talks can resume on the basis of the existing proposals.