President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the JVP leadership have expressed their strongest protest against the Norwegian Government’s strong lobbying to persuade the Government to work in collusion with the LTTE in the rehabilitation projects of the tsunami devastated regions in the North and East.

An aid package of around one billion US dollars is to be granted to Sri Lanka by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Japanese International Cooperation Agency and sixty percent of that amount, it is learnt, is earmarked for the rehabilitation of the devastated regions in the North and East of the country.

The LTTE has proposed that an apex body comprising a Sinhalese, a Tamil and a Muslim member, be appointed to handle the implementation of the rehabilitation programme and also to appoint district coordinating committees comprising six Tamils, three Muslims and two Sinhalese for the districts in the North and East.

These committees, the LTTE has proposed, should be constituted with three Tamil members for Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Mulaitivu districts and with a Tamil and Muslim member each for Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Ampara districts and with one Sinhalese member for Trincomalee and Ampara Districts.

Under this proposal the LTTE will be the de facto controlling body of the rehabilitation committees, it has been pointed out.

It has also been pointed out, the LTTE an armed rebel terrorist group, will gain international recognition if the rehabilitation programme is managed according to its proposal; giving it leverage to work towards achieving the controversial Interim Self Governing Authority proposed earlier by the group.

Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar recently said the Government does not agree with any international group going to the North to hold talks with the LTTE which has been proscribed by several governments including India, USA and many other countries.

The view of the government is that all efforts of rehabilitation or relief in the North and East should be under the aegis of the National Operations Centre set up by the government for the purpose.

However, highly placed diplomatic and official sources said the Norwegian pressure was gradually dissipating due to the strong opposition expressed by President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the main partner of the UPFA coalition government, the JVP.