US calls for Sri Lankan rivals to honour ceasefire

WASHINGTON: The US State Department on Wednesday called on Sri Lankan government forces and the rebel Tamil Tigers to honour a cease-fire and condemned recent rebel violence.         

"There have been a number of instances recently which bear all the hallmarks of Tamil terror, in which there have been violations of the ceasefire, which we have, I think, strongly and vociferously condemned," deputy spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters.     
 

He said Washington was working with Norwegian government mediators and the European Union in a bid to "resume negotiations, resume enforcement in respect of the cease-fire. And we call upon all parties to act in good faith to respect the cease-fire."         

Sri Lankan army General Parami Kulatunga was killed in a suicide bomb attack on Monday. The government blamed his death on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam who are fighting for independence in the island's northern and eastern regions. More than 60,000 people have been killed in the conflict since 1972.       

Norway has provided special peace envoys and members of a mission to observe a shaky ceasefire that has been in place since February 2002 but is under pressure following the upsurge of violence which has seen at least 815 people killed since December.         

The Tigers wrote to Norway following a letter from top Norwegian envoy Erik Solheim asking both Colombo and the rebels to reaffirm their commitments to peace, after failing to arrange a face-to-face meeting between the two sides. The government has already responded, saying it was committed to the ceasefire.