In a statement released by the US embassy in Sri Lanka, the co-chairs of the now defunct Norwegion initiated peace process ‘expressed urgent concern for the safety of more than 100,000 people trapped by the conflict’ and ‘stressed the importance of a humanitarian pause and of ensuring that adequate supplies of food, water and medicine reach the civilians in the zone,’
The four-nation group, dubbed the Tokyo Co-Chairs, on a conference call held on Friday April 10, discussed "how to best end the futile fighting without further bloodshed," a U.S. State Department statement said.
The statement from the United States, Britain, Japan and Norway came as Sri Lanka's military said it had begun military operations targeting the no fire zone, calling it "the largest hostage rescue operation in the world".
Full text of the US embassy release follows:
Representatives of the Tokyo Co-Chairs convened a conference call this morning to discuss the humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka. Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher participated for the United States.
Co-Chair members expressed urgent concern for the safety of more than a hundred thousand people trapped by the conflict between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in a narrow strip of land in northern Sri Lanka. They call on the Tamil Tigers to permit freedom of movement for the civilians in the area. They discussed the need for the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to respect the ‘no fire zone’ and protect the civilians trapped there. They reaffirmed the need to stop shelling into the ‘no fire zone’ to prevent further civilian casualties. They stressed the importance of a humanitarian pause and of ensuring that adequate supplies of food, water and medicine reach the civilians in the zone. Assistant Secretary Boucher and the other Co-Chair representatives discussed how to best end the futile fighting without further bloodshed.
