The Hindu : Front Page : Ceasefire with LTTE invalid, says Sri Lanka government

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Thursday, Jan 03, 2008
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Ceasefire with LTTE invalid, says Sri Lanka government

B. Muralidhar Reddy

Decision comes hours after suspected Tiger attack on Army vehicle

COLOMBO: The Sri Lanka government will treat the Norwegian-brokered 2002 Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) with the LTTE as ‘invalid.’

The decision, taken at a Cabinet meeting, follows the killing of four persons in a claymore mine attack on an Army vehicle by suspected Tiger cadres here. “We have decided to abrogate the CFA though there is no ban on the LTTE as of now,” well-informed sources told The Hindu.

“The Cabinet has directed the Foreign Minister to convey to the diplomats of various missions that after the senseless violence and over 3,500 violations of the CFA by the LTTE, the agreement has become a dead letter for the government,” the sources said.

As per the February 2002 agreement, it shall remain in force until the notice of termination is given by either party to the Royal Norwegian government. Such notice shall be given 14 days in advance of the effective date of termination.

The Cabinet decision came a fortnight after President Mahinda Rajapaksa hinted that his government would be left with no option except reconsidering the CFA and banning the LTTE if the Tigers did not desist from incidents like the Nugegoda parcel blast of November 28, 2007. The blast in an apparel store on the outskirts of Colombo killed 19 civilians.

Three days ago, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa advocated abrogation of the CFA and a ban on the LTTE to enable the government to make a “fresh start to address Tamils’ grievances.”

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