Brussels, 23/02/2009 (Agence Europe) - During their meeting on Monday 23 February in Brussels, foreign affairs ministers from EU member states called on the Sri Lanka authorities and Tiger Tamil rebels (LTTE )to end hostilities and violence against civilians.
According to the conclusions of the Council, “the EU calls for an immediate cease-fire thereby providing for the establishment of full and unrestricted access, allowing humanitarian aid to be safely delivered and allowing civilians to leave the conflict area”. The EU also condemns the LTTE's use of violence and intimidation to prevent civilians from leaving the conflict area.
The Council's conclusions call on the rebels to lay down their weapons, definitively renounce violence and terrorism and end forced recruitment and the inhuman use of child soldiers.
The EU remains “deeply concerned” about grave violations of human rights, in particular the cases of enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings as well as harassments, intimidations, attacks on the media and human rights defenders and the climate of impunity.
In its resolution, the EU explains that it remains convinced that the long standing conflict in Sri Lanka cannot be resolved by military means and that a military defeat of the LTTE will only reemphasize the need to find a political solution in order to ensure a lasting peace. Nonetheless, the EU does not have any plan to pressurise the Sri Lanka authorities or Tamil Tigers to follow its advice. The EU's position is based on the appeal launched by the Deputy Secretary General for humanitarian affairs, John Holmes, during his visit to Colombo. In an attempt to treat the two sides equally, the UN and International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) said that they believe more than 200,00 Tamil inhabitants have been caught in the cross-fire and that around a hundred people, including children have been killed since 1 January. (L.C./trans/rh)