Western countries this month called for a political process as the only means to end the bloodshed in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka's former colonial ruler Britain has called for a "political process" to end Sri Lanka's spiralling violence and condemned the latest wave of bombings against civilians.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband in a statement released to mark the country’s 60th anniversary of independence said that the Sri Lankan government's unilateral withdrawal from a ceasefire with the Liberation Tigers did not mean both parties should stop protecting civilians, reported AFP.
“Violence can never provide an answer to Sri Lanka's problems,” Miliband said. “A sustainable solution to Sri Lanka's conflict can only emerge through a just political process involving all communities.”
“I call for an immediate end to practices which target civilians or put them in peril,” Miliband said.
“I urge all in Sri Lanka to take steps to safeguard the civilian population and find ways to reduce the violence.”
“People in Sri Lanka need to find space to realize their many similarities, rather than becoming further polarized by their differences,” Miliband said.
Separately, the US also echoed the call.
“Only a political solution to the country’s conflict that responds to the aspirations of Sri Lanka’s Tamil and other communities offers a way out of the current cycle of escalating violence,” the US embassy in Colombo said in a statement on February 3.
“We appeal urgently to all parties to the conflict to take every possible measure to avoid killing or injuring civilians,” the statement said.
Last month, during a visit to India, Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown had called for the shaping of a “new world order” in which the international community intervenes where populations are being threatened by "genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes or crimes against humanity, and the state is unwilling or unable to halt or prevent it."
The world has "a responsibility to protect" Mr. Brown said.
Earlier, in a British Parliamentary debate on Sri Lanka, junior Foreign Minister Kim Howell called for a new ceasefire and for UN monitoring of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka.
MPs from all three main British parties agreed a UN human rights monitoring mission was needed and criticised the Sri Lankan government’s decision to abrogate the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement with the Liberation Tigers, a move which resulted in the withdrawal of international ceasefire monitors.
Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells said the end of the ceasefire meant "we have entered a dangerous new phase in Sri Lanka."
Britain, he said, has "to continue to work with international partners to make it clear that there cannot be a military solution, and to work for a cessation of hostilities."
"We must press the Government of Sri Lanka to address the grievances of Tamils through a credible and sustainable political solution. We must urge the LTTE to change," he said.
"We must work quietly and patiently behind the scenes with all the communities and with civil society in Sri Lanka to sow the seeds of a future resolution of the conflict."
"We must encourage the diaspora to play a bigger role in the search for peace," he also said.
Mr. Howells admitted "there is little substance around which to base negotiations," but said "the international community must clearly continue to stay engaged, stop the violence and help Sri Lanka build a credible environment for a sustainable peace process."
"Having chosen to end the ceasefire arrangement, the Sri Lankan Government have a clear responsibility to live up to their commitment to address the grievances of the Tamil people," he said.
"The international community will be watching carefully, and we do not want to see another false dawn," he warned.
He said the LTTE "must renounce terrorism and demonstrate a real commitment to democratic principles if it is to be regarded internationally as a legitimate political movement."
"Some Tamils argue that the military pursuit of self-determination is generated by a sense of despair that their grievances will never be addressed in a united Sri Lanka," he said.
"It is vital that the Government of Sri Lanka allay those fears and give them hope."
"For Sri Lanka to find a way forward, we need to see signs of genuine good will from the Government to any proposals for devolution that might emerge and a readiness on the part of disillusioned Tamils to contemplate alternatives to self-determination."
Sri Lanka's former colonial ruler Britain has called for a "political process" to end Sri Lanka's spiralling violence and condemned the latest wave of bombings against civilians.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband in a statement released to mark the country’s 60th anniversary of independence said that the Sri Lankan government's unilateral withdrawal from a ceasefire with the Liberation Tigers did not mean both parties should stop protecting civilians, reported AFP.
“Violence can never provide an answer to Sri Lanka's problems,” Miliband said. “A sustainable solution to Sri Lanka's conflict can only emerge through a just political process involving all communities.”
“I call for an immediate end to practices which target civilians or put them in peril,” Miliband said.
“I urge all in Sri Lanka to take steps to safeguard the civilian population and find ways to reduce the violence.”
“People in Sri Lanka need to find space to realize their many similarities, rather than becoming further polarized by their differences,” Miliband said.
Separately, the US also echoed the call.
“Only a political solution to the country’s conflict that responds to the aspirations of Sri Lanka’s Tamil and other communities offers a way out of the current cycle of escalating violence,” the US embassy in Colombo said in a statement on February 3.
“We appeal urgently to all parties to the conflict to take every possible measure to avoid killing or injuring civilians,” the statement said.
Last month, during a visit to India, Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown had called for the shaping of a “new world order” in which the international community intervenes where populations are being threatened by "genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes or crimes against humanity, and the state is unwilling or unable to halt or prevent it."
The world has "a responsibility to protect" Mr. Brown said.
Earlier, in a British Parliamentary debate on Sri Lanka, junior Foreign Minister Kim Howell called for a new ceasefire and for UN monitoring of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka.
MPs from all three main British parties agreed a UN human rights monitoring mission was needed and criticised the Sri Lankan government’s decision to abrogate the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement with the Liberation Tigers, a move which resulted in the withdrawal of international ceasefire monitors.
Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells said the end of the ceasefire meant "we have entered a dangerous new phase in Sri Lanka."
Britain, he said, has "to continue to work with international partners to make it clear that there cannot be a military solution, and to work for a cessation of hostilities."
"We must press the Government of Sri Lanka to address the grievances of Tamils through a credible and sustainable political solution. We must urge the LTTE to change," he said.
"We must work quietly and patiently behind the scenes with all the communities and with civil society in Sri Lanka to sow the seeds of a future resolution of the conflict."
"We must encourage the diaspora to play a bigger role in the search for peace," he also said.
Mr. Howells admitted "there is little substance around which to base negotiations," but said "the international community must clearly continue to stay engaged, stop the violence and help Sri Lanka build a credible environment for a sustainable peace process."
"Having chosen to end the ceasefire arrangement, the Sri Lankan Government have a clear responsibility to live up to their commitment to address the grievances of the Tamil people," he said.
"The international community will be watching carefully, and we do not want to see another false dawn," he warned.
He said the LTTE "must renounce terrorism and demonstrate a real commitment to democratic principles if it is to be regarded internationally as a legitimate political movement."
"Some Tamils argue that the military pursuit of self-determination is generated by a sense of despair that their grievances will never be addressed in a united Sri Lanka," he said.
"It is vital that the Government of Sri Lanka allay those fears and give them hope."
"For Sri Lanka to find a way forward, we need to see signs of genuine good will from the Government to any proposals for devolution that might emerge and a readiness on the part of disillusioned Tamils to contemplate alternatives to self-determination."
