|
|
|
| Sunday, 1 January 2006 |
 |
|
 |
Security |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Sanctions threat on LTTE by Jayantha Sri Nissanka The International Community will further impose sanctions on the LTTE if they continue with violence, a Foreign Ministry senior official told the Sunday Observer yesterday. The LTTE should seriously decide whether to get the international community to impose more sanctions on them or continue with the peace process in order to arrive at a lasting solution to the North and East (N&E) problem. Otherwise, the LTTE will be internationally isolated as a terrorist group and finding a final solution to the N&E problem will be dragged on indefinitely, he noted. Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said that the LTTE has violated the Ceasefire Agreement 76 times during the month of December. The LTTE has killed 51 servicemen and police officers while injuring 90 of them. LTTE also killed 26 civilians during the month, he said. However, High Commissioners and Ambassadors of friendly countries in Sri Lanka are closely monitoring the LTTE violent activities. If this continues they will decide how to deal with the LTTE, the Foreign Ministry official said. He said that even the European Union was actively considering listing the LTTE as a terrorist organisation if they continue with violent acts after killing former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. However, the killing of Foreign Minister Kadirgamar led the EU to impose a travel ban on the LTTE on September 26 preventing any LTTE delegation entering any member country. The EU has also agreed that each member state will where necessary take additional national measures to check and curb illegal or undesirable activities (including issues of funding and propaganda) of the LTTE and its related organisations and known individual supporters. The United States, Norway and Canada have strongly expressed "deep concern" over the recent increase of violence in Sri Lanka during the last week. US State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli issuing a statement said "We are deeply concerned about the continued erosion of Sri Lanka's four year old ceasefire as marked by the recent series of violent incidents". Says Norwegian Minister of International Development Erik Solheim also in a statement "the high level of violence and the tragic loss of lives are putting the Ceasefire Agreement at a risk and will make it very difficult to secure further progress in the peace process". Canadian High Commission issuing a press release on Friday warned the LTTE to abide by the recent appeal of the co-chairs of the Sri Lanka Donor Group and halt violent acts. The release said that Canada is deeply concerned about the deteriorating security situation and disturbing waves of violence. Canada also condemned attacks on security forces,civilians and
assassination of MP Joseph Pararajasingham. |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
