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Sinhalese party wants peace talks
with LTTE called off

Sinhalese extreme right-wing political party Sinhala Urumaya has asked the Sri Lankan government to call off the Norway-brokered peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and demanded severing of diplomatic ties with the Scandinavian country for 'interfering' in the country's internal affairs.

The party also demanded the arrest of Norwegian peace envoy Eric Solheim who recently met LTTE leader V Prabhakaran to kick start a new round of peace talks between the rebels and the Lankan government.

The party's national organiser Champaka Rawawaka told reporters in Colombo on Monday evening: "Norway is a country that has very racist constitution and rigid attitude towards the minorities there."

He wondered how the government could permit such a country to negotiate peace in Sri Lanka.

"Norway is and has always been a pro-LTTE nation. LTTE's communication network, including satellite phones, is based in Oslo, the capital of Norway," he alleged.

Party's general secretary Thilak Karunaratne said Solheim was a strong supporter of the LTTE.

"In fact, LTTE members in Norway participated in the May Day procession organised by Solheim's party. This clearly shows that Norway's intent is biased," he claimed.

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