(22 Feb 2006)
1. Wide of path with person walking along to wait in queue
2. Medium of path with people walking along to wait in queue
3. Medium of people standing in queue
4. Man being searched upon entering building
5. Norwegian government leaders entering building
6. Sri Lankan government leaders led by Nimal Siripala de Silva entering building
7. Close-up nameplate reading: LTTE (Liberation Tigers for Tamil Eelam)
8. LTTE leaders entering being led by chief negotiator Anton Balasingham
10. Medium of LTTE with Anton Balasingham seated
11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Urs Ziswiler Political Affairs Director, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs:
"As a result of which the the violence in Sri Lanka has substantially decreased since the end of end of January this year. Other such methods have followed in the last few days and I do hope that the coming two days will see more confidence-building on concrete foundations that will help secure the implementation of the ceasefire agreement."
12. Close-up of nameplate reading: Government of Sri Lanka
13. Sri Lankan government leaders, including Nimal Siripala de Silva, seated
14. Wide of Sri Lankan government leaders, including Nimal Siripala de Silva, seated
15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Erik Solheim, Norwegian Mediator:
"This is a crucial time for both the government of and the Tamil Tigers and you have to rise to the occasion and live up to the expectations to all sides that we should again be realistic. The outcome of this meeting should be some way of strengthening the implementation of the ceasefire and then hopefully that the two parties will meet again."
16. LTTE leader Anton Balasingham and Sri Lankan government leader Nimal Siripala de Silva shaking hands
17. Close-up of Balasingham and de Silva shaking hands
18. Zoom in exterior of meeting talks taking place
STORYLINE:
Sri Lankan government leaders and the Liberation Tigers for Tamil Eelam (LTTE) began their first direct talks in nearly three years at a secluded chateau outside Geneva on Wednesday.
The talks are mainly aimed at restoring a shattered ceasefire agreement and rebuilding trust between the two sides.
The LTTE members, led by Anton Balasingham, sat across a four-sided table from ministers of the newly elected Colombo government.
Norwegians and the Swiss hosts sat on a third side and truce monitors completed the square.
Urs Ziswiler of Switzerland's Foreign Affairs Department said he hoped the ceasefire would be reinstated.
"I do hope that the coming two days will see more confidence-building on concrete foundations that will help secure the implementation of the ceasefire agreement," he said.
The talks were convened on the fourth anniversary of the signing of the ceasefire, which began to unravel in December after the election of a hardline Sri Lankan administration and an escalation of violence by the rebels in the north of the country.
"This is a crucial time for both the government of and the Tamil Tigers," said Norwegian Mediator Erik Solheim.
He said strengthening the cease-fire was the main objective of the two-day conference, but he said he also hoped the two side would agree to meet again.
Peace talks broke down between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE in 2003 after six rounds of negotiations.
The LTTE abandoned the peace process when it was excluded from a donors' conference in the United States, which had branded it a "terrorist organisation".
Tamil Tigers have been fighting since 1983 for independence or a Tamil homeland in the north and east of the country, where the minority Tamil population is concentrated.
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