Peter Harrold meets Thamilchelvan

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 June 2004, 10:50 GMT]
Director of World Bank Country Representative for Sri Lanka, Mr. Peter Harrold, met with LTTE's Head of Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan at the Kilinochchi Peace Secretariat today, the peace secretariat website said. The discussions centered on the need of funds to support urgent humanitarian needs in the NorthEast, the website added.

Mr. Thamilchelvan is said to have stressed the importance of institutionalising the ISGA, fulfilling the Tamil mandate in the general elections of April 2004.

"In the absence of an effective Interim Administration as democratically mandated by the Tamil people," Mr. Tamilselvan said, "any other mechanism cannot cope effectively to address the urgent humanitarian needs of a nation of people affected by two decades of war," the website reported.

Mr. Peter Harrold acknowledged the validity of the Tamil claim and assured that the international community will remain committed to the Tokyo declaration which specifically reiterates the necessity to link aid to progress in the peace process, according to the report.