Donors ask Sri Lanka, LTTE to reconcile

South Asia News

Donors ask Sri Lanka, LTTE to reconcile

Colombo, May 30 (DPA) Donor countries backing Sri Lanka's peace efforts Tuesday urged the government and Tamil Tigers to prevent the country from sliding back to war as suspected guerrillas killed 13 civilians.

Japan, Norway, the US and the European Union met in Tokyo and called on both the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to 'deliver on their side of the bargain if war is to be avoided' and declared that the international community was committed to its supporting role agreed three years ago.

The co-chairs group was formed to help Sri Lanka's peace process by backing the huge reconstruction and rehabilitation effort after the former government signed a ceasefire pact with the LTTE and the countries pledged $3.4 billion in aid.

In a statement released in Colombo on the outcome of the meeting, they said they recognized that both the Sri Lankan government and LTTE 'have responsibilities which they have failed to deliver upon, including the commitments made at their meeting in Geneva in February 2006.

'The LTTE is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks. The government has failed to prevent attacks of armed groups, including Karuna and violent elements of EPDP,' the statement said.

The Karuna faction is a breakaway group of the LTTE while the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) has its armed cadres backing the Sri Lanka military.

The co-chairs said the 'international community can only support but cannot deliver peace. Peace can only be delivered by Sri Lankans themselves'.

Norwegian International Development Minister Erik Solheim said: 'We wish to support the (peace) process. But today we made a crystal clear statement that all international support ends if either of the parties go to war.'

The development came as 15 workers belonging to the majority Sinhala community employed to construct an irrigation tank in the Welikanda region, 240 km northeast of Colombo, were abducted and 13 of them were killed Monday night.

Military spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said two workers who escaped with gunshot wounds reported the killings to the police and have been admitted to hospital.

The attack has prompted some of the civilians to flee their homes in the surrounding areas.

The authorities blamed the LTTE for the massacre. But LTTE spokesman Daya Master denied involvement and claimed the attack was carried out by 'forces seeking to discredit the LTTE'.

The massacre occurred just hours before the European Union listed the LTTE as a terrorist organisation.

The EU move is expected to freeze the assets of the LTTE and to lead to a crackdown on fund raising for the Tigers, who are accused by human rights groups of extorting money from Tamils living abroad.

The Sri Lankan government said that it was willing to go ahead with peace talks despite the ban.

A solution to the issues should be sought 'only through political means and not through military means,' said a government statement in reaction to the EU ban.

'The government hopes that this clear and firm message would provide a fresh impetus and encouragement to the LTTE to think afresh and resume talks with the assistance of the Norwegian facilitators,' the statement added.

However, LTTE spokesman S. Pulithevan, who heads the rebel peace secretariat, said the ban would affect the stalled peace process as it would affect the balance of the two sides.

Earlier, the head of LTTE's political wing, S.P. Thamilselvan, said the ban would affect the ceasefire.

The country's security situation has further deteriorated since April 7 and more than 375 people - civilians, soldiers and rebels - have been killed.

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Donors ask Sri Lanka, LTTE to reconcile