Hon Jan Petersen
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Oslo
NORWAY

Dear Minister,

I thank you very much for your kind letter of the 23rd of May and your expression of sympathy on the recent flood disaster which has struck our country.

Your Deputy Mr Vidar Helgessen who was in Sri Lanka at the time was able to see for himself the intensity of the damage that we suffered. We are very appreciative of the generous contribution that your Government so readily provided towards the flood relief effort.

I have noted with interest the request made by the Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in a letter addressed to State Secretary Helgessen by the Chief Negotiator of the LTTE, Mr Balasingham on 21st May and which you have conveyed to me through your letter of May 23rd.

It is indeed kind of you to place State Secretary Helgessen and his team at our disposal as Facilitators in responding to the proposal by the LTTE leader.

I note that what the LTTE leader Mr Velupillai Prabhakaran is seeking is “the establishment of a new innovative structure for the reconstruction and development of the North-East”.

We have, for the time being, been discussing the need for a new innovative structure which can provide a more effective mechanism for the reconstruction and development of the North East.

This administrative structure will have to achieve the following objectives:

· to be efficient, transparent and accountable;

· safeguard the interests of all communities in the North-East;

· enable the LTTE to play a significant role;

· not be in conflict with the laws of Sri Lanka which could result in a successful legal challenge.

Mr Balasingham’s letter to State Secretary Helgessen also refers to an abstractly formulated “road map” of an envisaged federal solution. Our position is that while the “road map” will have to be discussed concurrently with the rest of the issues we will be discussing in the Peace Process, the “road map” itself will not be a part of this Note which is limited to administrative structures and financing arrangements.

I am therefore attaching to my letter a Note setting out our proposal regarding the structure to expedite reconstruction and development of the North-East, and a statement containing some background information for use in the discussions your team will be having with the LTTE.

We would be grateful if your team would now carry this response to the LTTE and facilitate renewed communication between the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka.

Yours sincerely,

Ranil Wickremesinghe
Prime Minister