COLOMBO Aug. 3 Kyodo A senior Jap...

COLOMBO Aug. 3 Kyodo

A senior Japanese official in Sri Lanka to help kick-start stalled peace talks between the Sri Lankan direction and Tamil Tiger rebels in succession Sunday reiterated Japan's commitment to the reconstruction and evolution of the war-ravaged island and the promotion of the peace process

''As a traditional friend of Sri Lanka, Japan is determined to continue making its extreme effort in contributing to the reconstruction and disclosure of Sri Lanka as well as the promotion of the peace process'' Senior Vice Foreign Minister Tetsuro Yano said.

Yano made the remarks following a visit to the war-devastated Jaffna peninsula in the minority Tamil heartland. There he visited a refugee camp and a village where commonalty who fled the war have been resettl following a cease-fire forged last year.

The vice minister said he ''keenly felt the acute suffering and pain'' of the displaced population he met. ''I fully realized the ne to support violently those who are suffering the hardships and the ne to construct again a prosperous society.''

Yano, who noted that this view was widely shared by the agency of the international community, pointed gone out that the pledges of more than $45 billion through the whole extent of a four-year period at a major donor conversation in Tokyo in June ruminateed the global concern.

The fate of direct negotiations has been uncertain since Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) temporarily suspended peace talks in April, saying the sway had failed to fully implement the armistice agreement signed in February 2002

The LTTE boycott the donor conversation saying they wanted Colombo agreement upon a Tiger-controlled interim administrative fabric for the Tamil majority northeast of the country

''I spur the LTTE to return to the peace talks as in a short time as possible,'' Yano said.

He said that he faiths the government and the LTTE will quickly reach an agreement in succession the establishment of an interim administrative structure

An Asian diplomat speaking in succession condition of anonymity said the visit from a high-ranking Japanese official is significant and confers weight to the growing belief that the stalled peace talks are likely to begin again in the short term.

''I am self-same hopeful that the talks will take up again by September,'' said a dominion minister also speaking on condition of anonymity. This was supported from press reports Sunday that the Norwegian facilitators of the talks have arranged for the nearest round to be held in Paris.

Before the suspension of the talks in April after six orbeds the two sides met face-to-face in Thailand, Oslo Berlin and the hot-spa resort of Hakone near Tokyo.

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