Norway's foreign minister said on Saturday that the Sri Lankan government and rebel Tamil Tigers had shown willingness to agree on tsunami aid for the island, which he said could be a boost for the stalled peace process. Foreign Minister Jan Petersen's remarks followed a meeting in Oslo on Friday with rebel political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan who is on a tour to lobby European governments to put pressure on Sri Lanka to share aid for tsunami relief. Weeks of tussling between the Tigers and the Sri Lankan government over international donor relief have pushed back hopes of converting a current truce into a permanent peace. Sri Lanka was hit hard by the Dec. 26 tsunami. The Tigers want a special mechanism to ensure they get a bigger share of aid before they will consider resuming stalled peace talks. "There are some outstanding issues that still need to be solved, but as far as I can see there is will on both sides to find an agreement on the mechanism, and that is the most immediate and pressing issue," Petersen told Reuters. "If that is successful, it might give the necessary confidence that the parties will need to move ahead," Petersen said. A Norwegian-brokered ceasefire took effect three years ago, but peace talks have been in limbo since April 2003. "I think it would be an important and positive step which of course would foster confidence between the two parties." But he added: "It is right that the two parties focus on the immediate and pressing needs of relief."
