The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), in the country to monitor the 5 year old Norwegian facilitated ceasefire agreement, has expressed concern over the escalation of the conflict in Sri Lanka.
The worst victims of the violence have been innocent civilians, SLMM head Lars Johan Solvberg told The Sunday Leader.
"The SLMM has been gravely concerned over the increased number of civilians trapped in the line of fire and becoming innocent victims to the escalating conflict. This year alone hundreds of civilians have lost their lives, which is a tragedy."
Of the more than 4,000 who have died in the fighting since December 2006, 1,500 are estimated to be civilians, the paper noted.
The SLMM head added that the ground situation had changed drastically from the time the 2002 ceasefire agreement (CFA) was signed by the government and the Liberation Tigers.
"The most important thing is that the ground situation is not anymore like it was five years ago. It is clear that the CFA was based on a different ground situation, and the fact that the ground situation has changed in the north and the east is a challenge to the CFA and to the SLMM," he said.
"Compared to the situation in the early days of the CFA, both parties seem to have escalated their military efforts, adding new capacities to their operations. This is a negative development to the conflict, which worries the SLMM," he said.
The changing ground situation has brought pressure on the monitors themselves to adapt.
"The SLMM is challenged to adapt to the changing nature of the conflict, in order to serve the parties as well as possible under the changing circumstances."
Solvberg feels that though both parties indicate their willingness to resume communication with the monitors, both were hitching the resumption of talks to conditions.
"Both parties have expressed their will to talk, but both of them have conditions connected to actions taken by the other party. This complication is an ongoing challenge, but it is not too late for the parties to recommence,” the paper quoted him as saying.
