US condemns LTTE for fuelling hostility

The United States has condemned Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) for fuelling violence and hostility, while urging them and the Colombo government to honour their 2002 ceasefire agreement.

That agreement "is the foundation on which both the government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers can find mutual understanding and build sustainable peace," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters on Tuesday.

"We're pressing both sides, the government as well as the Tigers, to honour the cease-fire agreement and return to a dialogue that will move the nation toward peace," he said in reaction to LTTE leader Velupillai Prabakaran's reported move to resume their struggle for independence.

"We condemn the Tamil Tigers for fuelling violence and hostility. Violence and terrorism do nothing to advance the resolution of the conflict. The Tigers can choose to return to the peace process and should do so for the benefit of the Sri Lankan people," McCormack added.

Asked if Washington planned any diplomatic initiative, he noted that US had recently hosted a meeting of the co-chairs of the Tokyo's Donors Conference-Norway, Japan and the European Union-to help find a durable solution.

"So that's really the mechanism through which we work to try to move the process forward," McCormack said with undersecretary of state for political affairs, Nick Burns deeply involved in it.