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By Patricia Nunan
New Delhi
17 April 2006
Erik Solheim, center, with Buddhist1 monks2 in Sri Lanka
A top Norwegian envoy3 facilitating Sri Lanka's peace talks says mediators will continue to talk to representatives of both the government and the Tamil Tigers, in an effort to save next week's planned peace talks. Erik Solheim says the responsibility for ensuring those talks take place lies with the two warring parties.
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Norwegian envoy Erik Solheim says mediators will do everything they can to encourage the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger guerrilla group to honor their commitment to hold peace talks in next week in Geneva, Switzerland.
But Solheim says if the government and the rebels, also called the LTTE, are not genuinely interested peace, there is little the Norwegian team can do.
"We will, over the next few days, be in very close touch with both the government and the LTTE to see if there is any way talks can go ahead," he said. "But it's again the responsibility of the parties to provide new ideas of how the talks can be prepared. "
On Sunday, Tamil Tiger leaders say they would not attend the talks scheduled to take place April 24 and 25 in Geneva. They say they were unable to hold key internal meetings with their commanders in the east of the country, because the Sri Lankan Navy was monitoring their movements too closely.
The Geneva meeting had originally been scheduled for earlier in the month, but was postponed4 when the rebels insisted that internal meetings take place.
Government officials say they are still ready for the talks to go on, but some analysts5 have cast doubt on their commitment. They say the government could provide a helicopter for the rebels to hold their internal meeting, but officials seem unwilling6 to do so.
The two sides last met face to face in February, in Geneva. Both sides reiterated7 their commitment to the 2002 cease-fire brokered8 by Norway, which had been showing signs of unraveling.
But little has changed. Roughly 70 people have died this month in another escalation9 of violence. Government officials say at least four soldiers died Monday when Tamil Tigers placed Claymore mines on a road where they knew troops would travel a technique they have used in the past.
For peace talks to take place, Solheim says, that has to stop - as do attacks carried out by armed groups thought to be affiliated10 with the government.
"Both sides should refrain from any sort of violence," Solheim added."We've seen a number of Claymore attacks particularly in the last week. They also agreed that no armed group would be allowed to operate from government-controlled areas. And this clause seems not to be implemented11 either."
The Tamil Tigers and the government have been locked in more than two decades of civil war. The rebels first demanded independence for areas of the country where the country's ethnic12 Tamil minority are predominant. Later, they downgraded their demand to greater autonomy. More than 60,000 people have died in the conflict.
Months of stalemate between the two sides was complicated by disputes over the fair distribution of billions of dollars in international assistance, provided following the
December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami13.
1 Buddhist | |
adj./n.佛教的,佛教徒 | |
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2 monks | |
n.修道士,僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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3 envoy | |
n.使节,使者,代表,公使 | |
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4 postponed | |
vt.& vi.延期,缓办,(使)延迟vt.把…放在次要地位;[语]把…放在后面(或句尾)vi.(疟疾等)延缓发作(或复发) | |
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5 analysts | |
分析家,化验员( analyst的名词复数 ) | |
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6 unwilling | |
adj.不情愿的 | |
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7 reiterated | |
反复地说,重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8 brokered | |
adj.由权力经纪人安排(或控制)的v.做掮客(或中人等)( broker的过去式和过去分词 );作为权力经纪人进行谈判;以中间人等身份安排… | |
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9 escalation | |
n.扩大,增加 | |
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10 affiliated | |
adj. 附属的, 有关连的 | |
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11 implemented | |
v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 );执行;贯彻;使生效 | |
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12 ethnic | |
adj.人种的,种族的,异教徒的 | |
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13 tsunami | |
n.海啸 | |
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