The South African Government congratulates the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE) on the commencement of peace talks, following nineteen years of warfare between the two parties that resulted in the deaths of some 64 000 people and the displacement of more than a million Sri Lankans. Peace in Sri Lanka will facilitate conditions of stability required to tackle the burning issues of socio-economic development. The people of Sri Lanka deserve peace and stability.

Sri Lanka would now also be able to make its noteworthy contributions to South-South relations, the Non-Aligned Movement and the G-77.

The important role of the Norwegian Government, whose peace-brokering efforts over many years has resulted in these latest positive indications of future peace and stability in Sri Lanka, should also be acknowledged, as should the role of Thailand in hosting these talks.

The Deputy Minister said, "In a world beset by the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Central Asia, the imminent threat of war in the Gulf region, and the heinous acts of terrorism that continue to plague our planet, the South African Government and the people of South Africa are heartened by the many positive signs that portend an end to the conflict in Sri Lanka."