Fighting spreads to east of Jaffna

By V.S.Sambandan

COLOMBO, MAY. 16. Breaking a ``somewhat steady'' situation which prevailed on the northern military front for the past few days, the LTTE today stepped up its offensive on the east of Jaffna in which at least 40 LTTE militants and six Sri Lankan soldiers were reportedly killed.

The Army made yet another readjustment of defence lines by moving towards northeast from the area of fighting. The lull in fighting was broken last evening when the LTTE ``in large numbers launched a fresh attack'' on the troops guarding the Tanankilappu sector, the Government said, indicating the spread of fighting eastwards from Jaffna.

The LTTE also ``simultaneously fired a barrage of artillery and mortars on troops'' from Pooneryn north. Sri Lankan artillery ``engaged terrorist artillery and mortar locations compelling the terrorists to shift their fire units,'' the Defence Ministry said.

Fighting was also reported from Nagar Kovil in the eastern sector and in Kaithady, the LTTE engaged the security forces ``with a heavy volume of artillery and mortar fire'', the release said.

The latest rebel offensives place the security forces in the northern Jaffna peninsula under extreme pressure.

Diplomacy moves

In the capital, diplomacy moved in tandem with battlefield developments, with the Government keeping its option for assistance - including humanitarian assistance - open, but ruling out inviting foreign combatants to help the security forces fight the LTTE.

At a press conference, the Foreign Minister, Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, today said the Government was prepared to receive external help to open a dialogue with the Tigers.

Considerable attention was accorded to possible scenarios of Indian assistance. Asked about the Government's response to the Indian offer - which Mr. Kadirgamar termed ``a very young offer'' - he said the Government would await a formalisation of the offer.

``It won't be an interrogative approach,'' the Minister said, on the offer of the Indian External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, that India would be willing to play a role, if invited. ``Let the nuances lie,'' Mr. Kadirgamar said, adding that there could be a situation when such assistance would not be required.

India had ``ruled out militarily assistance, but has not ruled out humanitarian assistance,'' Mr. Kadirgamar pointed out, adding that a situation ``could arise'' when humanitarian assistance could be sought. He defined the context for seeking such an assistance as ``drastic humanitarian deprivation''; and when asked if Jaffna was presently facing such a situation, he said: ``Absolutely not.''

The continuation of the Indian ban on the LTTE, according to Mr. Kadirgamar, was ``not a fatal impediment'' to the possibility of resumption of negotiations with an Indian initiative.

Strongly disagreeing with a questioner on whether India had prevailed upon the Tigers to contain their Jaffna offensive, Mr. Kadirgamar said, ``I reject absolutely and totally that the Indian Government has anything to do with the LTTE behind our back.'' The Minister also said, ``We are totally convinced'' that India does not want a separate state in the North and East of Sri Lanka.

Admitting that the military situation had played a role in the resumption of diplomatic ties with Israel, Mr. Kadirgamar however said the island was paying for all the military purchases it was making from seven countries.

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