|
Colombo: The Tamil Tiger rebels announced on Tuesday they would observe a unilateral 10-day cease-fire as a goodwill gesture during a regional summit to be held in Sri Lanka later this month.
The truce announcement came amid months of heavy fighting between the government and the rebels along the front lines of their civil war in the north. The rebels also have been blamed for a string of deadly bombings of buses, train
stations and other civilian targets throughout the country.
In response, the government has thrown a tight security cordon over Colombo and is expected to effectively shut down much of the capital to prevent attacks during the South Asian summit, which will bring top regional officials - including leaders from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan - to the city.
The rebels said in a statement on Tuesday they would honor the spirit of cooperation during the summit - scheduled to start Sunday - by unilaterally halting attacks for a 10-day period beginning Saturday and ending Aug. 4.
However, if the government carries out any attacks during that time, "our movement will be forced to take defensive actions," it said.
Sri Lanka's foreign secretary, Palitha Kohona, said the government had not yet decided whether to temporarily halt its offensive against the rebels' de facto state in the north during the conference.
"The government will respond appropriately after taking all factors into account," he said. "We sincerely hope this is a genuine commitment going toward a permanent peace and also something that will go toward demobilization (of the rebels)."
Balasingham Nadesan, the head of the rebels' political wing, told The Associated Press on Monday the group would not lay down its arms, calling such a proposal "totally absurd."
The government has claimed a series of military victories in recent days and might be reluctant to lose that momentum by honoring a cease-fire. However, a rebel attack in the Colombo area during the conference would be a major public
embarrassment for the government.
The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for an independent state in the nation's north and east since 1983, following decades of marginalization by governments dominated by the Sinhalese majority. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
A 2002 Norwegian-brokered cease-fire broke down 2 1/2 years ago amid new fighting, and efforts at restarting peace talks have gone nowhere.
|
