¡¡NEW DELHI, May 11 (Xinhuanet) -- A Norwegian peace envoy on Sri Lanka's peace process met here Wednesday with Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran to discuss the situation in the south Asian island country, Indo-Asian News Service reported.

    The meeting lasted over 90 minutes and the two sides discussed the formation of a joint mechanism involving the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to provide relief in tsunami-hit areas in the island.

    The envoy, Erik Solheim, who arrived here overnight via Amsterdam, later returned to Norway.

    The meeting assumed significance in view of the row kicked up by the joint mechanism proposal. This has come under attack from the government's main ally, the Janatha Vimukti Peramuna (JVP), which argues that the mechanism will legitimize LTTE's control in the north and east.

    Saran visited Sri Lanka for four days last week. Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga will arrive here Saturday for two days of talks with Indian leaders, mainly over the joint mechanism.Enditem