Lanka's donor Co-chairs to meet in Oslo next week

Colombo, June 23 (UNI) Sri Lanka's donor Co-Chairs are scheduled to meet in Oslo on Tuesday ''to asses the current situation'' in the island nation as violence continues to escalates, leaving over 4000 people killed and several thousands displaced since December last year.

It would be a ''working meeting'' that follows several recent high-level visits to Sri Lanka by the members of the Co-chairs, a statement from Norwegian embassy quoting top peace envoy and Norwegian Minister of International Development Erik Solheim said.

US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, Japanese special peace envoy Yasushi Akashi, Director-General of the EU Presidency Andreas Michaelis and Acting Deputy Director-General of the European Commission James Morran would attend this top-level meeting, the statement said.

''The purpose of the meeting is to share information and views.

The Co-Chairs will explore ways and means in which the group, as a whole or as individual countries, can continue helping the parties to cease violence and return to the negotiating table, '' Mr Solheim was quoted as saying.

When the Co-Chairs met last time in Washington in November 2006, they requested both the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebels to give up violence and resume direct peace dialogue to find a lasting political solution to the ethnic conflict.

Oslo did not ''intend to make any public statements after the Co-Chairs meeting'' as usual, the statement added.

UNI