The four co-chairs, Norway, Japan, the United States and European Union (EU) on Sri Lanka's peace process said Saturday that there is no military solution to the conflict and they support a negotiated settlement to the long drawn-out ethnic conflict.
In a joint statement issued in Colombo by the Norwegian embassy to Sri Lanka, the co-chairs also said they "support a continued Norwegian role as facilitator."
"The Tokyo Co-Chairs jointly express their strong concerns about the termination of the 2002 Cease-fire Agreement by the Government of Sri Lanka," said the statement.
The statement called on the Sri Lankan government to finalize apolitically sustainable devolution plan and urged all parties to comply with their obligations under international law to protect civilians.
It also expressed deep concern about the human rights situation and protection of civilians in Sri Lanka, and called for continued monitoring of the human rights situation by the United Nations.
Meanwhile, they requested the Sri Lankan government provide access to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the rebel stronghold Kilinochchi for representatives of the co-chairs and the facilitator.
The statement came shortly before Jan. 16, when the Sri Lankan government's decision to withdraw from the cease-fire agreement will take effect.
The Sri Lankan government decided to abrogate the cease-fire agreement on Jan. 2, saying the Norwegian facilitated agreement failed and the government saw no point of having any attempt to come to a settlement with the LTTE.
The LTTE said in a statement on Thursday that "it is ready to implement every clause of the CFA (cease-fire agreement) and respect it 100 percent", while the government said the LTTE should have implemented the CFA in 2002 and not in 2008.
Both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE have been accused of blatant violations since the truce came into force on Feb. 22, 2002.
The government and the LTTE held eight direct talks after signing the cease-fire agreement, but failed to find a political solution to the island's long drawn-out ethnic conflict.
More than 5,000 people have been killed as the conflict between the government and the LTTE began to escalate in the end of 2005.
Claiming discrimination at the hands of the Sinhala majority, the LTTE has been fighting the government since the mid-1980s to establish a separate homeland for the minority Tamils in the north and east.
Source:Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article