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Delft crisis goes to Oslo: TNA split
Monitoring mission proposes urgent talks
As Tiger guerrillas stepped up their battle to oust rival EPDP cadres from Delft, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission says the matter should be resolved at the third round of peace talks beginning tomorrow in Oslo.

"This issue is very important since it is a democratic right for any political party to be free to carry out its political activities in any area. The situation in the Delft is such that there is no guarantee that there won't be a spill over, so both parties have to address this issue," said Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission's deputy head Hagrup Hauckland.

The comments came as a concentrated effort continued to oust the EPDP from the Delft Island through a campaign carried out through the civilians in the area. The EPDP office in the island has been placed under heavy police guard over the past week, with fears that the office may be stormed by those who are against the presence of EPDP.

Mr. Hauckland said that other political parties should have access to all areas and they had proposed that the matter be brought up at the next round of talks. He said the situation had not changed and it appeared to be continuing.

"Both the EPDP and the LTTE should work it out and we will definitely extend our fullest support in helping them," Mr. Hauckland said. Meanwhile, the Tamil National Alliance appears to be divided over the Delft Island crisis, involving the EPDP and the LTTE.

Amidst reports that the LTTE is trying to gain control of the strategic 35 square kilometre island over which the EPDP had reigned, TULF President V. Anandasangaree and General Secretary R. Sampanthan came out with different views.

Mr. Anandasangaree said the EPDP also had a right to continue its political work in the Delft, just as the LTTE and other parties could. "If we want to defeat the EPDP, we must do it politically, and not in other ways," he insisted.

Mr. Sampanthan said he believed the EPDP should withdraw from Delft Island and discuss the matter with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission before coming back later if it wished to.

He said the TNA would discuss the matter with the Prime Minister but it had no intention of making a statement in parliament at the request of the LTTE as reported in some media.

Hitting out at the EPDP Mr. Sampanthan said: "the EPDP is now trying to be innocent though it did not allow other parties to carry out political work. They have killed our members and now they don't want the LTTE to operate as they feel that their support will be lost."

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