Ebrahim said "I see confusion in the country today with lots of division. In the LTTE we find divisions in the north and the northeast. In the south also there are very sharp divisions between the two main parties. So the situation is not very clear now." He expressed hope that after the elections situation would normalize and there would be some stability and people would know where the country is moving.

Ebrahim I Ebrahim who was in Sri Lanka on a short visit joined the South African liberation struggle in 1952. When the ANC was banned in 1960 he became a part of the group that organized the resistance to the state of emergency. In 1963 he was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment on Robben Island and was released in 1979. Again in 1986 he was charged with high treason and sentenced to 20 years in imprisonment. He was released in 1991. Closely connected to former South African President Nelson Mandela, Ebrahim is currently a member of the National Executive Committee of the ANC. He is a former member of parliament, chairperson of the foreign affairs committee of parliament Ebarahim was also the Senior Political and Economic Advisor to the Deputy President of South Africa. Published: Thu Mar 11 22:13:54 EST 2004

Speaking of the role played by the Norwegian monitors, the ANC member said " I don't know. Nordic countries have been doing a good job. They have a history of being impartial" On the issue of inviting India as a monitor Ebrahim had this to say " As for India, India is just next-door. It is ok if all the parties accept them. We don't know if all the parties would accept them. What are their attitudes towards India? If the North is suspicious of India then they cannot play that role. We must have people who would be accepted by all the parties, whose impartiality would not be doubted by any party. Published: Thu Mar 11 19:59:33 EST 2004