A Norwegian peace-broker was meeting with Sri Lankan leaders, officials said on Tuesday, amid concerns that the assassination of the country's foreign minister could further damage Sri Lanka's already faltering peace process.
Norway's Foreign Affairs Minister Jan Peterson met President Chandrika Kumaratunga late on Monday night to assess what impact the slaying of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar on Friday might have on the prospect of resumed peace talks, said Jayantha Dhanapala, from the government's Peace Secretariat.
Peterson, one of the architects of the suspended peace deal, was meeting Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, said Tom Knappskog, a spokesman from the Norwegian Embassy.
"Yes, we are meeting the prime minister this morning," Knappskog said, but he declined to provide details.
Unidentified snipers shot Kadirgamar in the head and heart late Friday at his home in the capital Colombo. No one has claimed responsibility for the assassination, but Kumaratunga and military officials have roundly blamed Tamil Tiger rebels.