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Sri Lanka's Tamil Parties Presses Govt to Accept Rebel Ceasefire Offer
Representatives of 11 Tamil political parties of Sri Lanka pressed the government in a meeting held on Sunday to accept the one-month ceasefire offered by separatist Tamil Tiger rebels last month.
Deputy Major of Jaffna city in the north of the country Ravi Raj said that representatives of Tamil parties will meet heads of all foreign missions in the island country to request them to use their good office and urge the government to respond positively to the ceasefire offer made by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ( LTTE).
He also said that representatives from their organization are planning to meet with Indian leaders regarding the matter shortly.
The Tamil parties hold the view that talks with the government can not be conducted while shelling is going on and strongly felt the government should respond positively.
They say that they will launch a national campaign against the war with the participation of all communities and civil organizations to press the government and concerned parties to pursue a negotiated settlement to the 18-year ethnic war.
The 11 Tamil political parties, which include the main Tamil parties that have representation in parliament, represent minority Tamils in the north and east of the country as well as the upcountry Tamil population.
The LTTE rebels declared on December 21 that they will start a month-long ceasefire from midnight on December 24 "as a goodwill measure to facilitate the peace process."
However, the government responded the LTTE ceasefire offer two days later by saying it will consider a ceasefire only after peace negotiations between the government and the LTTE rebels proceed to the mutual satisfaction of both sides.
Following the LTTE truce offer government troops intensified their military campaign against the rebels in a bid to force them to the negotiation table.
The LTTE rebels have been fighting since 1983 for a separate Tamil state in the north and east of the country. In the past they have entered peace negotiations with the government several times but they violated agreements with the government and resumed fighting later on.
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