By IRNA
New Delhi : Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has asked the peace broker, Norway, to revive their stalled moves and help resume the direct talks with Tamil Tiger rebels.
President's younger brother and senior advisor Basil Rajapakse had contacted Norway's top International Development Minister Erik Solheim last Sunday and asked for the help, Doordarshan News website reported here.
He had 'conveyed an important message' that the government was 'now willing to facilitate a visit to Colombo' by Norway's special peace envoy, Jon Hanssen-Bauer.
"This was for Mr Hanssen-Bauer to travel to (Tiger-held) Kilinochchi and meet leaders of the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). This was to enable Norway to continue initiatives to ascertain the possibility of resuming peace talks."
There was no immediate reaction either from the Sri Lankan government or from the Norwegian embassy at Colombo.
However, the Norwegians had been frustrated over Colombo's failure to allow their envoy at Colombo Hans Brattskar to travel to Kilinochchi.
The military had said it was unsafe for Brattskar to cross the front lines because of the on-going fighting.
The government and the LTTE met last in October 2006 in Geneva.
The two sides have stepped up their attacks against each other after the talks failed.
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