Sri Lanka to offer truce to rebels

By Iqbal Athas
Special to CNN

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Sri Lanka will offer a four-day truce to Tamil Tiger rebels beginning Friday, a government source has said.

The Defence Ministry would give an announcement that the Security Forces will not engage in any offensive action from April 13 to 16 to observe the Sinhala and Hindu New Year, a high-ranking government source told CNN.

The Sinhala and Hindu New Year, which falls on April 13 and 14 every year, is observed countrywide, bringing life to a virtual standstill in this Indian Ocean island republic.

Sinhalese form 74 per cent of Sri Lanka's 18.5 million and Hindu Tamils constitute 18 per cent.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are fighting for an independent homeland in the country's north and east, claiming widespread discrimination in education and jobs by the majority Sinhalese -- a charge denied by the government.

More than 60,000 people have been killed in the ethnic war, which began in 1983.

In past years, the government has also halted military offensive action during the Sinhala-Hindu New Year. However, the decision would add a significance this year because a cease-fire, unilaterally enforced by the Tamil Tigers, is now in force until April 24.

The rebels introduced the self-imposed cease-fire on Christmas Eve and have renewed it every month.

However, there are fears that the rebels may not extend the cease-fire beyond April 24 because they believe a Norwegian-sponsored peace initiative has run into problems.

Government intelligence agencies have warned of a military build-up by rebels in combat zones in the north and east as well as imminent attacks on the security forces.

This was after rebels made tough new demands to come to the negotiating table. They now insist that Colombo withdraws a long-standing ban on them and also reciprocate their unilateral cease-fire.

This is the first time the rebels have made fresh demands since Norway began its role as facilitator in November last year.

The demands came when Norway's ambassador to Sri Lanka, Jon Westborg, crossed security barriers to meet rebel leaders in northern Wanni district. He will meet Sri Lanka President, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, on Tuesday to brief her on the talks.

A Norwegian Embassy news release on Monday said the rebels had raised issues that "needed deliberation and it was agreed to refer a couple of questions to further consultations in the immediate future."

Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar told Parliament last week the government would announce a date for peace talks before the end of the current month. Talks were unofficially scheduled for mid-May.

Mr Westborg's visit to Wanni was to obtain dates for the talks and to discuss lifting of trade restrictions on various goods in the area, including diesel, petrol, cement and fertilizer.

President Kumaratunga has repeatedly told Norway's chief negotiator, Erik Solheim, that there was no barrier to her government negotiating, although the LTTE remained banned.

Political analysts in Colombo say the fresh conditions placed by the rebels would be impossible for the government to accept.

"In such an event, if the Norwegians cannot persuade them to drop the demands, an all-out war in the coming weeks will become inevitable," one analyst said.

Heavy fighting in Sri Lanka's Jaffna Peninsula

Sri Lanka Government
Tamil Eelam

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