Sri Lanka: Annan calls on Government, Tamil rebels to return to peace talks after clashes

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on the Sri Lankan Government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to “change course and bring the country back on a path to peace” following a continuing upsurge of violence on the Indian Ocean island.

In a statement issued by his spokesman, Mr. Annan said he was disturbed by latest news of major sea and aerial attacks, including an attack on a vessel that had unarmed international monitors on board, causing the deaths of 18 Sri Lanka navy personnel and a number of LTTE members.

He noted the statement by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, composed of Nordic countries, demanding that the LTTE immediately cease all operations at sea, and describing these as a serious violation of the ceasefire agreement.

The Secretary-General said it was unacceptable to attack vessels carrying Mission monitors, which is currently consisting Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland and was set up to monitor a Norwegian-sponsored ceasefire agreement signed in 2002.

“He repeats his call on all the parties to summon the political will to resume their dialogue under the facilitation of the Norwegian Government,” the statement concluded.

At the beginning of the month, UN agencies began delivering food, safe water and other basic needs to over 10,000 Sri Lankans displaced by recent clashes in the north and east of the island.