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Finland move prompted by LTTE

B. Muralidhar Reddy

Their presence untenable after ban, say Tigers

COLOMBO: The Finish move to pull out of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission came after futile attempts in recent days to persuade the LTTE to let the EU contingent to continue as part of the SLMM.

A few days ago, the LTTE made it known to the Ambassador-at-Large of the Swedish Foreign Ministry, Anders Olijelund that there was no change in its stance.

The LTTE argued that the presence of the EU monitors had become untenable after the ban on the Tigers in May.

The Tiger demand would mean the departure of 37 of the 57-member SLMM at a time when the monitors have asked for a 25 per cent increase in their numbers to monitor the collapsing ceasefire effectively.

Nordic countries, which met in Oslo last month to consider implication of the LTTE demand, did not arrive at any decision.

Norwegian special envoy to Sri Lanka, Jon Hanssen-Bauer, is scheduled to come here next week to discuss the future of the SLMM.

Over 900 people have lost their lives in Sri Lanka since December last year as violence has escalated despite a ceasefire agreed in 2002. At the meeting with the Swedish Ambassador-at-Large, not only did the LTTE refuse to relent on the monitors but also raised serious objections to the political initiatives of Sri Lanka President, Mahinda Rajapakse for a political solution to the ethnic conflict.

Air strikes launched

At least nine persons, including six cadres of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and two police constables, were killed in renewed violence in difference parts of the island nation on Friday.

The LTTE claimed that six of its members were killed and five others injured in an offensive by the military, which included "limited air strikes" to end the blockade of a water source in Serunuwara in Trincomalee district in the east.

The defence spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella, told a news conference here that the Government had no option but to resort to air strikes because of the stubbornness by the LTTE on water blockade.

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