by Shamindra Ferdinando
A US delegation to a meeting scheduled to take place on Monday (25) in Oslo in support of the Sri Lankan peace process will not sit with the LTTE delegation led by Anton Balasingham unless the group gives a guarantee that it is giving up terrorism before the meeting, informed sources said.

The US recently informed Sri Lanka of her stance, informed sources said. The US delegation will be led by Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage who during a visit to Colombo declared that the US would not talk with the LTTE. Responding to questions raised at a joint press briefing at Temple Trees, Armitage stressed that the US would continue to support the Oslo-led peace process but would not sit with the LTTE, a proscribed international terrorist organisation.

The Sri Lankan delegation will be led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The meeting which is scheduled to take place at the Holmenkollen Park Hotel Rica in Oslo will be declared open by Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen.

The US delegation will restrict its contacts to the Sri Lankan delegation, the sources said.

Although a high level British delegation led by Ms. Clare Short, in charge of international development met with an LTTE delegation in Kilinochchi subsequent to the ceasefire agreement between the government and the LTTE reached in February, the US did not establish contacts with the LTTE.

The UK delegation to the Oslo meeting will be led by Ms. Short.

The Prime Minister following the Oslo meeting with the LTTE and subsequent meetings with Norwegian leaders will leave Oslo before the next round of talks between the government and the LTTE begins on December 2. From Oslo the prime minister will leave for Tokyo where he will be meeting with Japanese leaders.

Meanwhile deputy US trade representative ambassador Jon. M. Huntsman Jr. and US ambassador Ashley Wills met with President Chandrika Kumaratunga and former foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar at the Janadhipathi Mandiraya where a range of issues was discussed on Friday.

Following the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1373 (2001) — a tough measure to combat terrorism worldwide.

Among various measures it also resolves to: "Ensure that any person who participates in the financing, planning, preparation or perpetration of terrorist acts or in supporting terrorist acts is brought to justice and ensure that, in addition to any other measures against them, such terrorist acts are established as serious criminal offences in domestic laws and regulations and that the punishment duly reflects the seriousness of such terrorist acts."