It's going from bad to worse. It's very worrying. It's a kind of shadow war. |
Let us keep expectations at a realistic level. |
Now the two sides will go back to Sri Lanka and implement what they have agreed during the talks. |
The (hoped-for) outcome of this meeting will be some way of strengthening the agreement on the cease-fire and hopefully that parties will meet again. |
The big risk are spoilers who want to produce violence to undermine this positive effort. At the moment the parties should do their utmost to stop violence, but they should not let violent elements and spoilers derail the process. |
The high level of violence and the tragic loss of life are putting the cease-fire agreement at risk and will make it very difficult to secure further progress in the peace process. |
The parties are taking a small but very significant step towards putting the peace process back on a positive track. And we expect the negotiations to be tough. |
The purpose of the visit is to brief India about what Norway had been doing. We will assist both India and Sri Lanka to find a peaceful solution to the problem. |
There is a need to create a climate that is conducive to peace. The violence has to stop. |
There is a tendency to wait for Norway to arrive and pull a rabbit out of a hat. There should be no doubt that it is up to the two parties to resolve (their problems), with the help of Norway and the international community. |
There is little confidence at the start between the two sides. Confidence can only increase, but it starts at a low level. |
There is real enthusiasm for peace but possibly not real enthusiasm for the necessary compromises. I would not advise on the specifics of the compromises. It's a complex matter. |
There may be a need for more meetings. They would be held in Switzerland or elsewhere in Europe. |
They should not underestimate the difficulties. We have to talk to the Swiss before we can announce a date. |
This is a vote of confidence. |