US condemns attack on SL passenger bus

Washington, June 16: The United States condemned yesterday terrorist attack on a passenger bus in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, that killed 60 people, including 15 schoolchildren.

''This vicious attack bears all the hallmarks of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam,'' said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack in a written statement. ''It is a clear violation of the Ceasefire Agreement that the Tamil Tigers claim to uphold.'' In his statement, Mr McCormack called for ''an end to the violence that is causing so much suffering for the people of Sri Lanka and resumption of negotiations to bring peace to the country.''

He said, ''The Tamil Tigers must renounce terror and enter into direct negotiations with the Sri Lankan government.'' The attack comes one week after the collapse of peace talks in Norway, where Tamil Tiger representatives refused to meet face-to-face with Sri Lankan government officials. It is the deadliest attack since a four-year-old ceasefire agreement between the government and the Tamil Tigers began in December 2005.

UNI