10/10/2004 - The Sunday Island
Ranil to meet Helgessen in Delhi

Former Premier, UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is expected to meet Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgessen in New Delhi early this week.

Wickremesinghe and Helgessen are scheduled to begin their visits on Monday. Their meeting is expected to cover the entire gamut of issues relating to the peace process.

The Norwegians have been so far unsuccessful in their attempts to revive the peace process which broke down in April 2003.

Ambassador Jon Westborg who played a pivotal role in arranging the Cease-Fire Agreement between Wickremesinghe’s government and the LTTE in February 2002 is Oslo’s top envoy in New Delhi.

“There is likely to be an informal exchange of views among them,” a well informed source said yesterday. The UNP leader is accompanied by Milinda Moragoda, MP a key member of his peace delegation involved in six rounds of talks with the LTTE.

Another source said that during Wickremesinghe’s meetings with Indian leaders, the latter were expected to reiterate their stand that an interim arrangement to run the north-east region should be linked with the proposed final settlement. India’s stand was officially conveyed to Premier Mahinda Rajapakse during his first official visit to New Delhi after the last parliamentary elections in April.

 



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