Nazaha arrests 158 ministry employees over corruption charges    Saudi Arabia's non-oil exports with Gulf countries soar 43% to SR9.4 billion in November    Health minister: 40% fall in mortality rates caused by chronic diseases since 2017    Arab ministerial meeting in Cairo rejects displacement of Palestinians    Venezuela frees six detained Americans after Trump envoy meets with Maduro    Fitch affirms Saudi Arabia's Credit Rating at 'A+' with a Stable Outlook    Saudi foreign minister and US Secretary of State discuss bilateral relations and regional developments    Saudi Arabia mandates national attire for male secondary school students    Small plane crashes into buildings in northeast Philadelphia, sparking fires and injuries    Trump imposes tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China, escalating trade tensions    Al Nassr signs Colombian striker Jhon Durán from Aston Villa    Al Hilal returns to winning ways with a dominant 4-0 victory over Al Okhdood    Al Ahli signs Brazilian winger Galeno from Porto on a long-term deal    Saad Al-Shehri leads Al Ettifaq to a crucial victory over Al Shabab in his debut match    Saudi composer Nasser Al-Saleh passes away at 63    Saudi drama icon Mohammed Al-Towayan passes away at 79    Saudi Arabia approves new financial settlement rules for corruption cases    Riyadh Season 2024 attracts over 18 million visitors    Singer and actress Marianne Faithfull dies at 78    Saudi Arabia launches inaugural Art Week Riyadh on April 6-13    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Sri Lanka to suspend offensives against rebels
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 12 - 04 - 2009


Sri Lanka's president ordered a
two-day suspension of offensives against Tamil Tiger rebels
to enable tens of thousands of trapped civilians to leave
the war zone, his office said Sunday, according to AP.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa directed the armed forces to
restrict operations during the April 13-14 Sri Lankan New
Year to a defensive nature and renewed his call to the
rebel group to «acknowledge its military defeat and lay
down its weapons and surrender,» a statement said.
He said the rebels must renounce violence permanently.
The president's call came amid increasing international
pressure on the government to protect civilians trapped
along with the remaining guerrillas in a
government-declared «no-fire» zone measuring just 7.7
square miles (20 square kilometers).
The U.N. says about 100,000 civilians are trapped in the
war zone with dozens dying every day. The government and
aid groups accuse the rebels of using civilians as human
shields and have called for their release. The rebels and
rights groups have accused the military of firing into the
safe zone _ a charge the military denies.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he would have
liked to see a longer halt, but said the government plan
was a «useful first step and an opportunity to move
towards the peaceful and orderly end to the fighting now so
badly needed.»
In his statement, Ban called on both sides to respect the
pause in fighting. He said the rebels must allow civilians
to move out of the zone, while the government must treat
them in accordance with international standards.
Britain welcomed the government announcement, but said it
was vital that rebels also observe the suspension.
«The pause must be long enough for all those who want to
leave the conflict zone to do so safely,» British Foreign
Secretary David Miliband said in a statement Sunday.
«Temporary relief for civilians must be the first step
towards a resolution of the conflict.»
Miliband also said it is essential that access is provided
for international humanitarian relief efforts and for
journalists «given the scale of the alleged abuses on both
sides.» Independent journalists are barred from the war
zone.
Meanwhile, ethnic Tamil expatriates continued to rally in
European capitals to protest the military offensives in Sri
Lanka.
On Sunday, protesters entered the Sri Lankan Embassy in
Oslo and smashed windows and office equipment, police said.
No arrests were made.
On Saturday, at least 100,000 marched in London to demand
an immediate end to the offensive and the suspension of
development aid to Sri Lanka, a former British colony.
Government forces say they are close to crushing the
25-year separatist war. They had previously rejected calls
for an official pause in the fighting to allow civilians to
leave.
In the latest violence, military spokesman Brig. Udaya
Nanayakkara said suspected rebels killed five ethnic
Sinhalese farmers in a district far south of the war zone
Sunday night.
It was not possible to contact the insurgents for comment.
The Tamil Tiger rebels are fighting to create an
independent homeland for ethnic minority Tamils, who have
faced decades of marginalization by successive governments
controlled by ethnic Sinhalese. More than 70,000 people
have been killed in the violence.


Clic here to read the story from its source.