Switzerland welcomes the decision of the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), to begin official talks this week in Thailand. This agreement underlines the clear desire of both sides to continue the peace process which began with a ceasefire agreement in February.

Switzerland has supported humanitarian and development programmes in Sri Lanka for many years, and it will continue to do so. The Swiss government will provide additional financing to support the mine action programme in Sri Lanka, in particular, with regard to mine assessment and mapping in order to help internally displaced persons return to their home areas safely. Switzerland is very encouraged by Norway's contribution to the peace process as a mediator and as a leading participant in the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission.

Switzerland, which together with Germany supports a network for conflict transformation in Sri Lanka, calls on all parties to the peace process to do everything possible to enable the official talks in Thailand to lead to positive results.