No ceasefire in Sri Lanka; war reaches UN Security Council

(February 28, 2009) "Though pressure is exerted in various ways by the international community, the government will not stop the war on the Tigers until they are defeated." The statement from the prime minister of Sri Lanka, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, is confirming the hard line of the government of Colombo, which on February 22 rejected the ceasefire proposal of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Meanwhile, the fighting continues in Vanni, and according to the Defence Ministry the area under the control of the rebels has been reduced to 58 square kilometres. The guerrilla conflict in the area has caused more victims among the civilians, and the National Peace Council (NPC) has again asked for the parties in conflict to open negotiations that would permit the evacuation of civilians from the war zone, and the reaching of a political solution. After the air attack unleashed by the LTTE on Colombo during the night of February 20, the area of the capital hit by the downed combat planes, is returning to normal. Meanwhile, the conflict has reached the United Nations Security Council and the UN is likely to discuss the issue in its sessions.