Lanka hints ready for cessation of hostilities with LTTE

Colombo, Aug 22: The Sri Lankan Government has hinted that it could consider proposals by the Tamil Tiger rebels for an end to the ongoing hostilities, subject to certain conditions.

The government's latest position came when President Mahinda Rajapaksa met Colombo-based representatives of the donor co-chairs, comprising the US, the EU, Japan and Norway yesterday to brief them on the current security situation, the peace process and other related issues.

The President also made clear to the representatives that the government would seriously consider any initiative incorporating a clear and explicit commitment to a comprehensive and verifiable cessation of hostilities to be made by the LTTE chief V Prabhakaran, a statement from the President's office said last night.

''Such a cessation of hostilities should include explicit modalities for ensuring that Sampur area does not pose a military threat to the Trincomalee harbour and its environs, emanating from the LTTE military presence in that area, in violation of the ceasefire agreement,'' the Presidential statement said.

According to the statement, President Rajapaksa has claimed that the actions by the security forces were ''clearly aimed at preventing or responding to LTTE offensive activities'', and said that his government still awaits the LTTE's return to talks any time ''both on ceasefire and substantive matters.'' Meanwhile, the Norwegian peace facilitators, following consultations with the government, has decided to appoint retired Norwegian Maj Gen Lars Johan Sølvberg as the acting head of the Nordic monitoring truce mission, officially known as Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM).

''Maj Gen Solvberg's wide experience and impressive military background will be important assets in his new position as Acting Head of Mission. In spite of the reduction in the number of SLMM personnel, both parties to the conflict have expressed their strong wish for continued SLMM presence,'' a statement from the Norwegian Foreign Ministry has quoted Minister of International Development Erik Solheim as saying.

Maj Gen Solvberg will take up his position as Acting Head of Mission on September 1.

In a separate statement, the Norwegian Foreign Minister said that the outgoing head of the SLMM has decided to regroup the team's monitors in Colombo temporarily as the heavy fighting in the North-East region restricted their access to the combat areas.

UNI