'Regaining Sri Lanka' is the blueprint for the Tokyo Donor Conference scheduled for mid March, the Japanese Government's Special Representative to Sri Lanka's Peace Process Yasushi Akashi told the Daily News at the Colombo Hilton on Saturday night.

Based on this document, frontline donor concerns like the World Bank will further assess Sri Lanka's funding needs. This key document is a precursor to the Tokyo Donor Conference, he said.

The visiting envoy was making some brief remarks to this newspaper after addressing a news conference, hours before leaving for Tokyo following a three-day visit, which he described as " very fulfilling".

Responding to questions on his twin role as peace envoy and aid facilitator amidst widespread belief that he has been commissioned by the Government to prepare a national development plan for Sri Lanka, he said he needed the inputs for the needs assessment document which will be prepared for the Tokyo Donor Conference.

"I have stressed to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Ministers Prof. G.L. Peiris and Milinda Moragoda that they should be in the driving seat," he told the Daily News.

Addressing the news conference, he said the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) will be preparing a "Needs Assessments Report" as a forerunner to the Tokyo Donor Conference which will outline to donors the areas and projects requiring funds.

The Draft Report would be ready by end April, he said.

Asked by this newspaper to comment on his deliberations with Prime Minister Wickremesinghe at Temple Trees on Friday at which Ministers Prof. Peiris and Moragoda were also present, Akashi said the meeting centred on the balanced approach of developing the North and the South.

The Lankan Government is the main player in this exercise, which will involve the whole of Sri Lanka. The challenge is not only to develop the North and the South, keeping in mind the ethnic equilibrium. What is needed is a balanced approach so that all Sri Lankans could have a better quality of life, he said.

Japan's plan is to accelerate economic development of Sri Lanka and the role of India is also extensive. India is mobilising her support for the Tokyo conference, he said.

While endorsing the success of the Peace Process, he said a landmark was reached at the Oslo parley in December where the LTTE agreed to a federal system of governance within a united Sri Lanka.

Akashi, a former Under Secretary to the United Nations and a former Commander of the UN Peace Keeping Force in Bosnia and Cambodia, said he was deeply touched by a comment made by a Buddhist monk when he visited the South on Saturday, where he was told that the ceasefire had put a halt to the scores of dead bodies that the prelate received in wartime.

Asked about Japan's role in the peace process, he said Japan has evolved from its passive and cautious approach to be a civilian power without interfering too much. "It is a very thin line to tread," he said.

He cited Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's address in Sydney last year on the consolidation of peace in East Timor and Cambodia. He said Japan's commitment to Sri Lanka was also due to both countries being premier Buddhist nations.

When asked for his perceptions about the LTTE's commitment to democracy and human rights in the wake of destruction of Buddhist sites in the North-East, he said: "I have met LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham and Political Wing Leader Thamil Chelvam. They seem to be entirely sincere and educated on the Peace Process. They are open to discussions on both sides and dedicated to their own values. They are studying federal systems in India, Switzerland and Canada."

He also visited Kilinochchi for a meeting of the sub-committee on humanitarian needs on Friday and also some water supply schemes in the South yesterday. He also met Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapakse. He said the meeting with the JVP also gave him an insight to other perspectives of the Peace Process.

Akashi said he would also be intervening on behalf of his Government in Iraq on tensions there and in North Korea in relation to a Nuclear Plant. He will be arriving in Sri Lanka from time to time.