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Message: <blockquote data-quote="rapa" data-source="post: 45706" data-attributes="member: 212">After a period of appeasement under President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Ranil Wickremesinghe the present Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) led by President Mahinda Rajapakse is now putting its foot down to prevent LTTE get away with violations of peace agreements. First, the GoSL is insisting that Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the LTTE, should give written assurance to end the violence before the talks could begin. According to media reports, this condition was laid down when the Norwegian Ambassador, Hans Brattskar, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Thursday to explain why it did not observe the elementary duty of consulting the GoSL before announcing a date and a venue for the next meeting. This is the first time that the Norwegian Ambassador was summoned by the Foreign Ministry to explain its conduct. The GoSL's Chief negotiator Nimal Siripala de Silva and Foreign Ministry Secretary H. M.G. S. Palihakkara met Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar to thrash out the differences. Second, the GoSL representative informed the Norwegian Ambassador that it is the Sri Lankan government that would determine the date and the venue of the meeting and not Norway. The Co-Chairs - the United States, European Union, Japan and Norway - issued a statement in Brussels on Tuesday that both parties would meet without conditions in early October in Oslo and that the Co-Chairs would meet in late October to review the progress. Hans Brattskar had defended his position saying that the announcement was made by the Co-chairs and not Norway. Keheliya Rambukwella, the Defence spokesman, told the media that the government will fix the date, venue and the modalities for unconditional talks only after the LTTE leader Prabhakaran hands over the letter guaranteeing that he would not unleash any further violence. He had also told media that "a single bullet fired by the LTTE after agreeing for talks would compel the government to withdraw from the Ceasefire." The LTTE, on its part, is insisting that the transport of humanitarian supplies should be through the demarcated land routes running through the LTTE-controlled areas. S. P. Tamilselvan political head of the LTTE, told the media that "the closure of A9 is not a mere violation of the Ceasefire Agreement, but an offence against humanity, denying basic supplies to hundreds of thousands of people." The GoSL argues that it has supplied essential food and medical items to the Tamils in the north and it will continue to do so. GoSL maintains that it is the LTTE that is blocking the supply of goods by refusing to give cover to the ICRC escorting the ships carrying food and other supplies to the Tamils in the north and the east. Aid agencies are blaming both sides for obstructing the smooth passage of food and essential items to the north and the east. Asian Tribune –</blockquote>

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