The Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process, SCOPP, and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, SLMM, at their regular meeting discussed the importance of establishing better contact between the two parties of the Ceasefire Agreement, CFA. The SLMM has for a long time served as a messenger, whenever that is desired, but the two leaders of SCOPP and SLMM also discussed the possibility of a direct contact on special occasions, which has sometimes been practiced in the past. Both agreed that an information flow between the parties could be a positive initiative for the peace process in Sri Lanka.

SLMM Head, Major General Lars Johan Solvberg, announced that he has appointed a liaison officer with SCOPP, in order to facilitate correspondence between the SLMM and SCOPP. Accordingly, the SLMM has a full-time operative liaison office with the LTTE in Kilinochchi.

The SLMM Head also briefed SCOPP on his visit to Kilinochchi last week, where he met the principal staff of the LTTE´s Peace Secretariat. When asked about presence of international monitors in the districts, General Solvberg explained that the SLMM now has deployed more monitors in the North and the East, after the arrival of several new monitors from the contributing countries.

SCOPP welcomed the local monitors in the six districts who are scheduled to begin regular meetings today. SCOPP re-emphasized the importance of the local monitors whose objective and accurate observations on the ground were invaluable to preserving the integrity of the ceasefire as well as serving to revitalize a crucial element of the peace process. 

On humanitarian aid to the war affected zones, SCOPP urged SLMM to continue to pursue efforts to get the ICRC to resume its sea transportation of essential goods to the regions which was suspended because of ICRC concerns over LTTE's refusal to guarantee safe passage for the ships.

With regard to certain inaccurate reports in the media about matters relating to the peace process, from the explanation given by the SLMM it appears that these reports were misleading. General Solvberg said the SLMM had occasionally in the past experienced inaccuracy in the media, but added that most of the time it was not in the benefit of the Mission to try to correct every single incident. However, this does not over-rule the possibility that SLMM will seek a correction whenever the Mission believes it serves the peace process. This media policy has not been changed. SLMM and SCOPP agreed that inaccurate press reporting could harm efforts to build confidence in the peace process.