Sri Lankan government, Tamil Tigers commit to new peace deal
Talks in Geneva have wound up: Colombo and the Tamil Tigers accept to press ahead with talks with a view to reaching a peace agreement.
Geneva (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Sri Lanka's government and Tamil Tiger rebels have renewed a commitment to a four-year ceasefire after two days of talks in Geneva.
The talks on Wednesday and Thursday was their first meeting since 2003.
The two sides have agreed to meet again in April in an effort to ensure the country does not return to civil war. The new talks will also be in Geneva, on 19 and 21 April.
A statement issued after the talks said: "Both sides committed to respecting and upholding the ceasefire agreement and are committed to taking all necessary means to ensure that there will be no intimidation (and) acts of violence."
Norwegian Development Minister Erik Solheim, who mediated in the talks, says the clear commitment to stopping violence was the most important result to emerge from the talks.
The talks follow a recent upsurge in violence in Sri Lanka's north and east which has cost at least 120 lives.
But if the talks had collapsed many feared the ceasefire agreed to in February 2002 would fail and the island would have been plunged back into war.
More than 60,000 people died during two decades of conflict in Sri Lanka. The Tamil Tigers want autonomy for minority Tamils in the north and east. President Rajapakse has said the solution to the conflict lies in a unitary state.
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24/01/2007
