US encourages continued negotiations with LTTE

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 November 2003, 10:46 GMT]
Adam Ereli, Deputy Spokesman, US Department of State, in the daily press briefing on 14 November said that the US is "disappointed that Norway's Negotiators have found it impossible to move forward with the peace process," and that the US "encourage[s] the [Sri Lanka] Government to continue negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam."

The full text of the exchange during the press briefing follows:

QUESTION: Far afield and not on any major topic. Do you have anything to say about the suspension of the peace talks in Sri Lanka?

MR. ERELI: We are disappointed that Norway's negotiators have found it impossible to move forward with the Sri Lankan peace process at this time. We applaud Norway's efforts to keep the peace process moving forward, and we encourage their mediators to continue efforts once the President and Prime Minister have resolved their political differences.

We continue to stand behind Sri Lanka in its search for peace, and encourage the Government to continue negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, in order to end nearly 20 years of conflict. We urge the President and the Prime Minister to work together to bolster the peace process, and to protect Sri Lanka's democratic institutions.