COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s government rejected a cease-fire offer yesterday by the Tamil Tiger rebels, saying the insurgents must disarm first. On Sunday, a rebel-affiliated website reported the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was willing to consider a truce amid the military offensive on their de facto state in the north aimed at ending the 25-year-old civil war that has killed more than 70,000 people.
“We will not agree to a cease-fire. The president (Mahinda Rajapaksa) has stated his position clearly that the Tigers must lay down their arms. There is no compromise on this,” senior minister Maithripala Sirisena told Parliament.
The TamilNet website quoted rebel political wing head Balasingham Nadesan as saying the rebels have “always wanted a cease-fire.” Nadesan said the Tigers were only fighting a defensive war. Government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella accused the rebels of using a previous cease-fire to rebuild their strength.
