Foreign donors put Sri Lanka on notice amid war fears

International donors are warning the Sri Lankan government that it risks returning to war if it does not overcome opposition from coalition allies and resume peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels, analysts and diplomats said.



International donors are warning the Sri Lankan government that it risks returning to war if it does not overcome opposition from coalition allies and resume peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels, analysts and diplomats said. Key foreign financial backers of Sri Lanka took the unusual step of pressing President Chandrika Kumaratunga last week to rein in Marxist ally the JVP (People's Liberation Front), accusing it of undermining the peace process.

"The donors have been quite unhappy with the JVP," an Asian diplomatic source said. "It came to a head when the JVP asked (peace broker) Norway to get out. That is why the donors came out strongly against the JVP.

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Foreign governments and multilateral agencies who in June last year pledged 4.5 billion dollars in aid were impatient with the JVP for writing a letter asking for Norway's withdrawal, diplomats said.

"The message to the president is loud and clear," an official source said. "If Norway quits, there will be war. War is not an option for t