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SLMM to terminate activities

COLOMBO: A day after the Government formally notified Norway its decision to withdraw from the 2002 Cease Fire Agreement with the LTTE, the military claimed to have killed at least 24 Tiger cadres. Norway is the official facilitator of the peace talks.

The Defence Ministry said the Tiger cadres had taken a heavy beating along the Forward Defence Lines (FDLs) in the north.

The Ministry said the forces had recovered three bodies of the Tigers, two T-56 assault riffles and over 200 anti-personnel (AP) mines. “[The] LTTE offensive elements were driven further into non-liberated areas, following stiff resistance attacks by security forces. Intercepted enemy communication has revealed that many terrorists were injured during the clashes.”

The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) said that in the light of Sri Lanka’s decision to abrogate the CFA, it would terminate its operational activities effective January 16.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministers of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland — the Nordic countries that took part in the formation of the SLMM — in a joint statement said the SLMM withdrawal would mean the end of an important mechanism that protected civilians and gave a voice to the victims and their families.

The statement said the CFA served as the basis for the peace process and for international efforts to assist Sri Lanka in its attempt to end its long history of conflict.

“The Ceasefire Agreement had a number of positive consequences. During the first three years, conflict-related casualties dropped to almost zero, which means that as many as 10,000 lives may have been spared. The agreement allowed for greater freedom of movement for all people in Sri Lanka, and opened for economic development. It also improved the human rights situation and the protection of civilians. However, violations of the agreement have been numerous and serious during the past two years,” it said. The statement said the Nordic countries believed that only a political solution that addresses the grievances of all the ethnic groups can provide peace and the termination of the Ceasefire Agreement will only make it more difficult to find a way back to the negotiating table.

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