'SL President's intereference could harm peace process'

[TamilNet, Friday, 31 October 2003, 15:40 GMT]
The Norwegian Foreign Minister, Mr.Jan Petersen, has warned the Sri Lankan President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, that her continuous interference in the peace process could have serious consequences both on the peace process and Norway's role in the process, State controlled Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) said in its evening news broadcast, quoting Norwegian embassy spokesman in Colombo Friday.

The SLBC further quoted the Norwegian spokesman as saying that President Chandrika Kumaratunga's demand for sacking the Norwegian head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission could affect the presence of the international monitors of the country.

Earlier in the week, the Norwegian embassy said that Nordic countries contributing to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission would have to look back at the impact of the request of the Sri Lanka's President on the truce monitoring body, sources said.