September 13, 2003	Saturday	Rajab 15, 1424

COLOMBO, Sept 12: International aid donors pledged to spend more than 4.5 billion dollars to rebuild Sri Lanka despite a boycott by the Tamil Tigers, a top Japanese envoy said here on Friday.

Special envoy Yasushi Akashi said they were disappointed that Tamil Tiger rebels had boycotted Friday’s crucial aid meeting, but were “cautiously optimistic” that the island could eventually have durable peace.

“We are disappointed,” Akashi said of the decision by the Tamil Tigers to stay away from the meeting attended by 12 donor countries and seven international financial institutions and aid agencies.

However, Akashi said there would be no scaling down of the 4.5 billion dollars the international community promised at an aid pledging conference in Tokyo three months ago.

“We are cautiously optimistic and in fact there would be an increase in the amount of aid from organisations like the World Bank,” Akashi said.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) announced Wednesday they would boycott the Colombo meeting chaired by Akashi, but will have a separate discussion with him in the rebel-held northern Wanni region on Sunday.

Diplomatic sources said he was expected to take up the issue of the resumption of peace talks.

The Tigers pulled out of talks in April and boycotted the June Tokyo aid meet charging that the Colombo government had failed to deliver on promises made to them during six rounds of talks since September last year.

They have said they will only return to the table if they are given political power to run the affairs of the island’s northern and eastern regions.

“It will be good if they could resume the peace process soon,” Akashi said while declining to discuss what he would talk about with the Tigers.

The aid meeting wrapped up here after three and a half hours of talks and reiterated the need to link the flow of aid to progress in the peace talks.

“Participating countries and international organisations welcomed the continuing commitment of both parties to the peace process and their continued efforts to resume peace talks,” said a statement issued at the end of the conference.

It said another review of aid to Sri Lanka would take place by the middle of next year.

The Tigers have complained that there has been no rehabilitation work in the embattled northern and eastern regions despite a ceasefire in place since February 23 last year.—AFP