Norway does not support formation of an independent Tamil State in Sri Lanka, says Norwegian envoy

Norway does not support the formation of an independent Tamil State in Sri Lanka, Norway's special envoy to Colombo, Jon Hanssen-Bauer, told the United National Party (UNP) Member of Parliament (MP) Jayalath Jayawardene and to two leading Sinhalese and Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka on the sidelines of an international conference that ended in Oslo on April 11.
“Norway will not support the establishment of Tamil Eelam,” the MP quoted Hanssen-Bauer as saying. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan cabinet minister Arumugam Thondaman, who also attended the meeting, separately quoted Hanssen-Bauer as telling him that Norway would not be able to play the role of a peace facilitator as long as fighting raged in the island nation. “How can we do that when war is going on?” the minister quoted the Norwegian envoy as asking.
Meanwhile, speaking at the conference, Jon Hanssen-Bauer said that no 'externally designed solution' will end Sri Lanka's dragging ethnic conflict, adding, “One should not be tempted to try impose an externally designed solution to conflicts but assist the parties in defining a domestic one.” “The common understanding between the Government and the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) has been that talks are aimed at finding a political solution that is acceptable to all communities in Sri Lanka. For Norway, any solution endorsed by the Sri Lankan people is acceptable,” he added.