01 August 2004	Sunday	14 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

COLOMBO, July 31: The Alliance government of President Kumaratunga has said Norway "exaggerated" the current crisis relating to the peace process with the LTTE.

Cabinet spokesman and media minister, Mangala Samaraweera, told a news conference that the government believed the visiting Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen had exaggerated the situation in stating that the country was almost on a war footing.

The minister expressed full confidence that neither the government nor the LTTE would go back to war.

Mr Samaraweera said a day after Mr Helgesen told a media conference that Norway was deeply concerned that a frozen war situation was beginning to melt while the two parties were not giving priority to the peace process.

Brother of President Kumaratunga and Minister of Tourism, Anura Bandaranaike, claimed on Friday at a press briefing that he could soon fall victim to the Tamil Tigers.

He blasted the local media for linking his name with that of the renegade LTTE militant, Karuna, by fabricating the story that he had assisted the renegade leader in fleeing to Colombo. He said the media should take responsibility if he was attacked by the LTTE.