The last of the Sri Lankan peace negotiators left Japan today after four-days of talks, hoping that Tokyo would drum up millions of dollars in foreign aidfor reconstruction, diplomats said.
The Sri Lankan government delegation left yesterdat, shortly after the talks ended with no major breakthrough on political or human rights issues. Tamil delegates are due to return home this morning, diplomats said.
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Norwegian peace brokers said the latest talks were partly aimed at laying the foundation for an international aid pledging conference Japan has offered to host in Tokyo on June 9th and 10th.
The World Bank, which was appointed the custodian for foreign cash for Sri Lanka's rehabilitation, announced last week the formal setting up of a fund to which governments could contribute.
Norway's deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Vidar Helgesen, who "facilitated" the talks between the Sri Lankan government and the rebel Tamil Tiger guerrillas said yesterday Oslo was making the first contribution.
"We would urge other governments to contribute generously to this fund," Mr Helgesen said. "For our part, we are making an initial contribution of three million dollars and it should be paid in early next week."
The top Tamil Tiger negotiator, Mr Anton Balasingham, said before departing he expected foreign money to rebuild Sri Lanka's war-ravaged northern and eastern resgions as well as the entire economy despite international attention shifting to Iraq.
"We have the bitter experience of war... we have renounced violence and given up the armed struggle," Mr Balasingham said, adding the rebels' commitment to peace should encourage aid inflows.
But Mr Yasushi Akashi, Japan's special envoy to the Norwegian-led peace initiative has warned that unless the two parties showed "tangible progress" in their talks within the next three months, "an outpouring of spontaneous generosity from the international community cannot be expected."
AFP