04-20-2004, 04:46 PM
S.Lankan govt urges Tamil rebels to abide by truce
COLOMBO, April 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Cyril Herath has expressed grave concern over numerous cease-fire violations committed by Tamil Tiger rebels when he met with the deputy head of the truce monitors, The Island newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Herath said he told Monday Hagrup Haukland, the deputy head of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM), that the cease-fire agreement must be adhered to in full by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels.
He complained that the SLMM was fully aware that the LTTE rebels had violated the truce agreement by crossing over government controlled areas to launch attacks against renegade eastern leader Karuna in the eastern Trincomalee district earlier this month.
Karuna who had some 6,000 fighters under his command gave up his resistance against the main rebel group from the north after the attack and his whereabouts is not known.
Herath asked the SLMM to inform the LTTE rebels to strictly comply with the cease-fire agreement they signed with the government of former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in February 2002.
He also said that President Chandrika Kumaratunga was fully committed to a peaceful solution to the ethnic problem in the country without going to war.
President Kumaratunga has accused Wickremesinghe's government of making too many concessions to the LTTE rebels in the Norwegian-brokered peace process which has undermined the national security despite the truce in place over two years ago.
COLOMBO, April 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Cyril Herath has expressed grave concern over numerous cease-fire violations committed by Tamil Tiger rebels when he met with the deputy head of the truce monitors, The Island newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Herath said he told Monday Hagrup Haukland, the deputy head of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM), that the cease-fire agreement must be adhered to in full by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels.
He complained that the SLMM was fully aware that the LTTE rebels had violated the truce agreement by crossing over government controlled areas to launch attacks against renegade eastern leader Karuna in the eastern Trincomalee district earlier this month.
Karuna who had some 6,000 fighters under his command gave up his resistance against the main rebel group from the north after the attack and his whereabouts is not known.
Herath asked the SLMM to inform the LTTE rebels to strictly comply with the cease-fire agreement they signed with the government of former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in February 2002.
He also said that President Chandrika Kumaratunga was fully committed to a peaceful solution to the ethnic problem in the country without going to war.
President Kumaratunga has accused Wickremesinghe's government of making too many concessions to the LTTE rebels in the Norwegian-brokered peace process which has undermined the national security despite the truce in place over two years ago.
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