June 10, 2002	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 28,1423

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COLOMBO, June 9: Norway is preparing the groundwork for historic peace talks between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebels amid renewed foreign support to end ethnic bloodshed, diplomats here said on Sunday.

Peace-broker Norway has identified a venue in Thailand for the landmark meeting to be held by early July between Colombo and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), diplomatic sources said.

The government removed a major obstacle for the proposed talks by starting legal moves Thursday to lift the 1998 ban on the LTTE.

The actual end of the ban is expected to be announced ahead of the talks, Constitutional Affairs Minister G. L. Peiris said.

Sources said that the Thailand negotiations will focus on the establishment of an interim council to administer the island’s war-ravaged northern and eastern regions.

“The Norwegians have already asked the two sides how they would like the talks to proceed and what role Oslo should play once the talking begins,” a source said.

A questionnaire has been given to both parties about how the negotiations should be conducted.

The talks would be the first formal face-to-face meeting between the two parties in seven years.

Amid the arrangements for the Thailand meeting, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe began a crucial visit to neighbouring India Saturday to brief the politicians in New Delhi about the ongoing process.

—AFP