We will move very cautiously. Meanwhile, a hint of opposition to the peace process came on Friday when a small group of persons, apparently belonging to certain Sinhala activist groups hostile to peace moves demonstrated outside the Norwegian Embassy in Colombo. Some participants in the demonstration, who attempted to enter the premises of the embassy were warned and dispersed by police personnel on guard duty there. Norwegian sources are tight-lipped about the immediate follow up to the visit by their Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek to Colombo last Wednesday. Mr. Vollebaek has a reputation as an expert trouble-shooter with the ability to get difficult processes moving.
Norwegian officials are also cautious about the pace of the negotiating process.
The Foreign Minister, who has now returned to Oslo, is expected to have further consultations with all sides in the conflict here before mapping out his strategy for the convening of talks. According to informed sources, the Norwegian Minister sees the Sri Lankan situation as an extremely complex one and will spend considerable time in working out his strategy. These sources also said that Mr. Vollebaek had grasped the key areas of mistrust that exists on both principal sides in the conflict. During his flying visit here, Mr. Vollebaek met President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Leader of the Opposition, Ranil Wickramasinghe and the Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and discussed a range of matters related to the ethnic conflict. Diplomatic sources in Colombo explained that Norway's style of facilitation of such difficult negotiations between parties in a conflict was of a persuasive nature and did rely on the use of political pressure.