1. The first meeting to follow up the Tokyo Conference
was held in Colombo on 12 September 2003. The meeting
was chaired by Mr. Yasushi Akashi, Representative of the
Government of Japan, assisted by the EU and the USA.
2. 12 donor countries and 7 international organizations
participated in the meeting. The list of participants
is attached. Both parties to the peace process, the Government
of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) were also invited to the meeting. Senior ministers
and officials from the Government of Sri Lanka participated,
while the LTTE did not attend.
3. The participating countries and international organizations
welcomed the continuing commitment of both parties to
the peace process and their continued efforts to resume
peace talks, with a view to achieving a durable peace
based on a federal structure within a united Sri Lanka
as agreed in Oslo last December. They also urged strict
adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding.
4. The participants discussed the following issues: implementation
of donor assistance after the Tokyo Conference, development
policy and capacity building by both parties, inter-linkage
between progress in the peace process and implementation
of donor support, future assistance by the donors, and
follow-up modalities.
5. The participating countries and international organizations
reiterated their intention to fulfill the commitment to
extend assistance to the entirety of Sri Lanka to a cumulative
estimated amount in excess of $4.5 billion US dollars,
as expressed at the Tokyo Conference, based upon the principles
described in the Tokyo Declaration. They reaffirmed paragraph
18 of the Tokyo Declaration that “Assistance by
the donor community must be closely linked to substantial
and parallel progress in the peace process.”
They reaffirmed the importance of urgent humanitarian
and rehabilitation assistance in the North and East.
6. The participating countries and international organizations
expressed their strong commitment to continue and intensify
their reconstruction and development assistance to the
South. Presentations were made by the Government of Sri
Lanka on the progress of the capacity building after the
Tokyo Conference as well as on the reconstruction and
development policy based on “Regaining Sri Lanka”.
The participating countries and international organizations
urged the Government of Sri Lanka to make further efforts
to improve its capacity.
7. a. The participating countries and international organizations
agreed to continue follow-up of the Tokyo Conference,
in close consultation with both parties.
b. The participants proposed that the next Consultative
Group meeting would be held in Colombo in mid–2004.
The exact timing will be decided, taking into account
progress in the peace process.A monitoring and review
meeting would be held immediately before the CG meeting.
c. The next Follow-up Meeting may be held at the end of
this year or the beginning of the next year.
d. Ambassadorial level meetings would be held in Colombo
whenever appropriate, with the participation of ambassadors
and resident representatives in Colombo as well as senior
officials from capitals.