Norway's peace role useful- Samaraweera
[TamilNet, Monday, 12 June 2006, 13:55 GMT]
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera who is leading a high-level delegation of the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) officials to Norway said Norway's role in Sri Lanka was "useful," when he addressed the media in Oslo at the Norwegian Foreign Ministry Monday.
 (L:R) Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo
Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre making a brief statement to the Press said Norway has a long history of close cooperation with Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Mangala Samaraweera, said that he arrived in Oslo in "good faith." The Tigers were "not serious about the talks," and were inventing "excuses," he said. Mr. Samaraweera, a hardline Sinhala Minister, said the solution to the conflict has to be found within an "undivided and united Sri Lanka." Samaraweera expressed appreciation for the long standing bilateral cooperation Norway has with Sri Lanka, and mentioned that the Norwegian facilitation, begun
in 1999, was useful although no significant breakthrough has been achieved. This failure was due to the Tiger leadership, the Minister said. A group of Tamil activists protested outside the Norwegian
Foreign Ministry, carrying placards condemning the killings in Allaipiddy in
Jaffna and in Vankalai, Mannar Thurday
allegedly carried out by the Sri Lankan armed forces.  Tamil activists protesting outside the Norwegian Foreign Ministry.
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