In an exclusive short interview with News Now.lk's Chief Editor Easwaran Rutnam and senior journalist Jamila Najmuddin, the Norwegian Minister of Environment, who has been often labeled in Sri Lanka as being pro-LTTE, said that the recent Wikileaks reports on him proved that he was not biased towards one party.
Solheim also rejected the idea of a separate State in Sri Lanka and urged the Tamil Diaspora to seek dialogue and work through democratic means to achieve their goals.
The LTTE had recently created a government in exile, also known as the Transnational government of Tamil Ealam which demands for a separate
State and obtained the support of the Tamil Diaspora especially those living in Canada.
Following are the questions posed to Minister Solheim and his response:
1/ Do you intend to visit Sri Lanka anytime soon?
Answer: As you might have seen in the media in Sri Lanka, a possible visit to Sri Lanka was discussed in the meeting with president (Mahinda) Rajapaksa last year, but no final decision on the date has been made.
2/ You are seen by many political parties in Sri Lanka as a pro LTTE supporter... This image about you remains since the time of the Sri Lankan war.... Now that the war is over, and the LTTE defeated, do you intend to build up a stronger relationship with Sri Lanka so that your pro LTTE image will be dropped?
Answer: Sri Lanka has always been high on my list of priorities. I am indeed pro Sri Lanka. Norway was asked by both the Government of Sri Lanka and LTTE to engage as a facilitator of the peace process. We agreed to act in this capacity only as long as both parties wanted to have Norway in this role. I like to think that one of the reasons we were asked to get involved was our close and good relations with all population groups in the country. I think the Wikileaks reports once and for all rejects the criticism that I was biased towards one party.
3/ The Tamil Diaspora is very active overseas and are still aiming for a separate state in Sri Lanka.... What is your message for the Tamil Diaspora with the end of the war?
Answer: My message to the Tamil Diaspora is that they have to work through democratic means. Dialogue must be their tool. I would advice them to focus on the restoration of normality for the people living in the war ridden areas and to work within the democratic system of Sri Lanka. There is strong support for legitimate Tamils rights, but no international support for a separate Tamil state.
We also encourage the Government of Sri Lanka to pursue dialogue. The war is over, now the focus should be on dialogue and reconciliation.
4/ Do you think the war could have ended differently and less lives lost especially during the final stages of the war?
Answer: It was painful to see the last phase of the war unfold. So many people were affected. As in any war, there are two parties and both sides share the responsibility for lives lost. However, It is no secret that I had hoped that LTTE would choose a different path when the outcome seemed inevitable. That was also my main advise to them.
5/ What sort of role will Norway be looking at playing in post war Sri Lanka?
Answer: Norway has unique ties to Sri Lanka, but we no longer have a special role. We hope to play a constructive role as a dialogue partner both with the government and peoples of Sri Lanka, including exile communities. Norway and Sri Lanka enjoy good bilateral relations. We plan to maintain development cooperation with Sri Lanka, but we also hope to attract more Norwegian private investments in Sri Lanka.
Posted By Sameera Chathuranga
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