Norway will host a meeting of the Sri Lanka Co-Chairs on 28 April, which will bring together representatives from the EU, Japan, the USA and Norway for talks on the peace process in Sri Lanka.

Minister of International Development Erik Solheim will chair the meeting. The USA will be represented by Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, formerly press spokesman in the US State Department. Deputy Director-General Hervé Jouanjean will represent the European Commission. Special Representative Yasushi Akashi, who formerly served both as UN Under-Secretary-General for both Peacekeeping Operations and Emergency Relief Coordinator, will represent Japan. Mr Akashi also supervised the peace negotiations and elections in Cambodia.

The representatives will discuss what can be done to get the parties to the peace process in Sri Lanka, the Government and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE), to respect the ceasefire and continue with the peace process.

“I am extremely concerned about the recent upsurge in violence in Sri Lanka,” said Mr Solheim. “The international community will now come together to discuss this serious situation. We strongly urge the parties to sit down together for talks in order to put a stop to the violence.”

A press briefing will be held after the meeting in the Banqueting Department of Hotel Continental at around 15.15.

Press contact: Head of Information Espen Gullikstad, tel.: +47 91 70 81 22