Tamil rebels in Sri Lanka are ready to accept international calls for a cease-fire, but won’t lay down their weapons without a political solution in the quarter-century-long civil war, according to a letter released by the group.
But no cease-fire offer is being offered as government troops press their offensive against Tamil forces and their remaining strongholds in northern Sri Lanka.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are “ready to accept the calls for a ceasefire issued by the international community with the good intention of ending the human suffering,” B. Nadesan, the political head of the rebels, said in a letter released Sunday.
“The LTTE desires that this effort for a ceasefire to grow further into peace talks to seek a political solution to the ethnic conflict.”
Tamil rebels have fought for an independent homeland for the country’s ethnic Tamil minority since 1983. The civil war has left more than 70,000 people dead.
Government forces have claimed a series of victories in the new year, pushing rebel forces into an ever-shrinking section of northern Sri Lanka as humanitarian groups have reported high levels of civilian casualties.