Norway's top peace envoy, Erik Solheim, arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday to mediate a deal between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels on the distribution of aid to areas devastated by the Dec. 26 tsunami. Solheim on Sunday visited Muslim refugees displaced by Sri Lanka's 19-year civil war, which killed more than 65,000 people. He was scheduled to travel to the restive eastern town of Batticaloa on Tuesday for talks with the Sri Lankan military, the Tigers and European cease-fire monitors, said Tom Knappskog, a Norwegian spokesman. Norway has worked hard to secure a deal between the government and guerrillas to ensure that foreign aid reaches rebel-held northeastern areas ravaged by the Indian Ocean disaster, which killed more than 31,000 people in Sri Lanka. Officials involved in the peace process said the parties were expected to move closer to an agreement, but it was unlikely to be finalized during Solheim's four-day visit. President Chandrika Kumaratunga said last week the proposed joint mechanism to distribute aid would be the foundation of a final solution of the civil war. If a deal is reached between the two sides, it would be the first major collaboration since peace talks collapsed in April 2003.
