LTTE ready for a permanent ceasefire

Colombo, Apr 14: In a statement reported by the BBC, Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have said that they are ready to negotiate a permanent ceasefire with government forces.

As per the report the rebels said they were prepared to open internationally supervised political talks to halt decades of bloodshed, and that such a ceasefire should also contain a base for political solutions.

The government announced a unilateral two-day halt to the fighting beginning Monday, Apr 13 to allow the civilians trapped in the conflict zone to leave.The Tigers said the two-day truce was an attempt by the authorities to deceive the international community.

"The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) desires that it should also create a conducive climate for a permanent political resolution to the national question of the Tamils in a peaceful way. The LTTE is ready to comply without any conditions to a ceasefire as described above," it said.

ANI