Sri Lanka mulls response to rebel ceasefire

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected on a promise to open peace talks with the Tigers

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- The newly elected government of Sri Lanka has said it will respond soon to a unilateral truce declaration announced by Tamil rebels on Wednesday.

The one-month long ceasefire will begin on December 24, Christmas Eve, and is designed to pave the way for peace talks aimed at ending the countries long-running civil war, a statement from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said.

Responding to the announcement Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando said the government welcomed the move as "a better start for peace".

"As a gesture of goodwill we will respond to the LTTE truce announcement in a few days," he told the Sri Lankan newspaper the Daily News.

He said Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was elected to office earlier this month on a promise to open talks with the rebels, would likely issue a formal statement after his return from a visit to India this weekend.

Announcing its ceasefire the Tigers called on the government to "reciprocate positively" to their move "and instruct its armed forces to observe peace during this period."

Ceasefire extension

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The rebels also called on the government to lift economic sanctions against areas held by the LTTE and remove "restrictions and prohibitions imposed on our people".

The latter clause is being seen as an apparent reference to a long-standing demand by the Tigers that a ban on the group be lifted before talks begin.

If their demands were met the rebels said they would "favorably consider extending the period of ceasefire".

The statement added that the decision to cease armed hostilities "should be viewed as a genuine expression of goodwill, demonstrating our sincere desire for peace and a negotiated political settlement."

The Tigers declared a similar Christmas truce last year and extended it for four months. But the then government of Prime Minister Chandrika Kumaratunga refused to follow suit, rejecting the ceasefire as a ploy.

The LTTE has been fighting for a separate Tamil state in the country's north and east since 1983.

More than 60,000 people have died in the conflict with the impact of the fighting on the island's battered economy running into billions of dollars.

Since coming to power the new government has set up three committees to oversee moves towards bringing an end to the fighting.

Officials say one committee will advise the prime minister on a political settlement, the second will lay out the groundwork for negotiations, while the third will tackle any crisis thrown up during the talks.