Front Page

Front Page

Norwegian PM parries Ambassador Westborg controversy
By Our Diplomatic Editor
Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Bondevik has sent a short one-page response to President Chandrika Kumaratunga's complaint on the recent conduct of Oslo's Ambassador in Sri Lanka in the recent controversy over the import of equipment for the LTTE radio station Voice of Tigers (VoT), with a plain dismissal of the allegations she has made.

Couched neatly in diplomatic language, Prime Minister Bondevik says the Government of Sri Lanka has already clarified matters and that there was no need for him to proceed further on the matter.

Knowing only too well that there are sharp differences between the UNF and the PA in the cohabitation Government, Mr. Bondevik pins his answer to President Kumaratunga on a statement she says was made by "Your Excellency's Government", which in fact is the statement made by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Mr. Bondevik was referring to the statement made by Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, which was in tandem with an earlier unsigned statement issued by the Office of the Government Spokesman (UNF), except for the issue of the import of VSAT equipment for the LTTE radio station, where the Premier contradicts his own Government spokesman.

The Norwegian Prime Minister while ignoring the allegations that his ambassador has violated international conventions and local laws, instead goes on to assure his country's continued role as an impartial facilitator in the peace process.

The Norwegian Premier has completely brushed aside President Kumaratunga's references to Ambassador Jon Westborg violating the Vienna Convention and the local Customs laws saying nothing on it. He has purely anchored his reply to the UNF Prime Minister's statements on the controversy.

Mr. Bondevik also has said, 'Without your commitment to a peaceful solution to the conflict and your strong support for Norway's third-party role, it would have been difficult to reach the present stage of the peace process'.

There appears to be no likelihood of President Kumaratunga taking the issue further, adopting a sudden shift in approach from her earlier hardline stand. The President's official spokesman, Harim Pieris, played down the issue by telling The Sunday Times that the President "had taken note" of the Bondevik reply.

Sources close to the President, however, said it was unlikely that she would take the matter further, and that the issue was now in the "public domain". They said the public could decide on the issues with her letter, the Government statements and Mr. Bondevik's reply.

The Presidential climb-down comes in the midst of an unprecedented move by the UNF Government to ask for Ambassador Westborg's extension in Colombo despite his successor being named.

This move flies in the face of nationalist groups and the JVP which are demanding that Ambassador Westborg be declared persona non grata and expelled for his complicity in importing the radio equipment for the LTTE while his country acted as honest-broker in peace talks between the rebels and the Sri Lanka Government.

Presidential spokesman Pieris said President Kumaratunga was not consulted on the matter, but 'may have been informed'. The Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the Ambassador was due to end his tenure at the end of January, but in response to a request for the continuation of his term for a further period, due to his involvement in the peace process, Mr. Westborg is expected to continue until around April.

Meanwhile, the VOT is expected to make its first broadcast with the brand new equipment next Thursday, the day after Thai Pongal to mark the death anniversary of its one-time Jaffna commander Kittu, but the Government has yet to say how much duty they must pay for the import of the equipment.

Back to Front Page