Colombo, March 29: Amid calls from the United Nations
for a truce in the island`s embattled north, Sri Lanka has
said it may agree to halt temporarily the offensive against
the LTTE if the rebels allow the Tamil civilians "held
forcibly" by them to move to the government-controlled region.
"If the LTTE is ready to let these people (Tamil
civilians) go, at least part of them go," the government may
agree to a modality to facilitate a temporary truce, Sri
Lanka`s Permanent Representative to the United Nations,
H M G S Palihakkara, said.
"You can call it a pause or as I said government had
earlier given a 48-hour period," he told reporters at the UN
headquarters in New York, referring to the January 30 move of
President Mahinda Rajapaksa when he announced a two-day
ceasefire in order to give a safe passage to the civilians in
Wanni.
"The issue is LTTE is not willing to let them (civilians)
go. They are trying to hold this human shield," Palihakkara
said.
UN humanitarian chief John Holmes has estimated that over
one lakh civilians were still trapped in the Wanni area and
urged both Sri Lankan security forces and the LTTE to call a
brief ceasefire to enable the people to leave.
Bureau Report
