Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-05-18-Speech-4-161"
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"en.20060518.22.4-161"2
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".
Mr President, the Commission continues to follow the situation in Sri Lanka very closely and welcomes the interest shown by the European Parliament in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict for all the people of Sri Lanka.
The Commission shares your concerns about the worrying situation in the country. It is clear that the situation in Sri Lanka is now at a critical juncture. However, the solution can only be a negotiated settlement of the conflict.
Following the first round of talks in Geneva in February, the Commission was rather optimistic about the readiness of the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to enter into discussions on the implementation of the ceasefire agreement as a prelude to possible talks on an overall peace settlement. The Commission is very disappointed that the second round of peace talks has now been put back indefinitely and that there are no prospects for new talks at the moment.
The Commission is very concerned at the recent deterioration in the situation, in particular the suicide attack directed against the army chief, Lieutenant General Fonseka, and the recent rebel attack in northern Sri Lanka against a troop carrier and accompanying vessel, which killed 17 soldiers. Both actions led to retaliatory air strikes on rebel positions, causing casualties and deaths. We are clearly witnessing a very serious escalation.
The navy attack was an open violation of the ceasefire agreement by the LTTE and is made more serious by the known presence of Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission monitors.
The European Union has repeatedly condemned violent acts that have caused death and suffering among all the communities. The European Union has called on both parties to do all in their power to show restraint and to prevent further violence.
These new developments are important for the EU in its role as a Co-Chair of the Tokyo Donor Conference, and we should carefully calibrate our response. An extraordinary Co-Chairs’ meeting in Oslo at the end of April took stock of the situation. A new meeting of the Co-Chairs is scheduled to take place in Tokyo on 30 May.
The indications are that neither side seems keen to continue the peace negotiations and go to the planned second round of peace talks in Geneva. However, neither side wants to pull out completely and be accused of triggering all-out war.
We thus continue to monitor the situation very closely and will explore any opportunity that could help stabilise the situation in Sri Lanka and lead to a peaceful, negotiated resolution of the conflict."@en1
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