Aid to be monitored - UN official

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Olara Otunnu, UN Special Representative on Children in Armed Conflict, stated at a press conference yesterday, that both parties to the conflict had to come together if a solution to the ethnic problem is to be found.

Mr. Otunnu said that during his visit to the LTTE controlled areas in the Vanni he had seen a large number of people affected by the conflict, especially children, who did not have food, healthcare or other welfare facilities.

Mr. Otunnu said that the SLG had undertaken not to recruit school children to the security forces and the LTTE had pledged not recruit youth aged below 17.

He said a monitoring committee is to be set up to monitor the flow of humanitarian aid and it was proposed to set up a war free zone for children.

He said that he hoped to visit Sri Lanka's East in his next visit to the island.