A civil society group on Monday urged both the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers to end the present cycle of hostilities and to re-enter the process of negotiations.

The National Anti-War Front (NAWF) stressed in a forum the need for dialogue between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the government.

Kumar Rupasinghe, the convener of the NAWF said "it is everyone 's responsibility to start talks."

Rupasinghe said the government has faced accusations of human rights abuses in the allegedly increasing number of disappearances and abductions of individuals in the island.

Vasudeva Nanayakkara, a ruling party representative said "war will not solve the Tamil people's problem. Even after military victories we will find the need for a political solution."

Both Rupasinghe and Nanayakkara said it was important to reach out with a political solution to address the problems faced by the Tamil minority.

The escalation of the armed conflict since December 2005 has claimed over 4,000 lives so far, throwing into jeopardy the Norwegian backed process of direct negotiations.

Source: Xinhua