No military solution to the conflict, says US Embassy

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 August 2006, 10:00 GMT]
The US Embassy in Sri Lanka, in a press release issued on Friday said there can be "no military solution to the conflict that continues to divide Sri Lankans. Without political commitment and a spirit of compromise between both parties, there will be no end to the conflict. "There is no other way forward than through a return to negotiations." The United States is "deeply concerned by the dislocation of tens of thousands of innocent civilians and the killing of NGO personnel in the northeast."

Full text of the press release follows:

Embassy of the United States of America
Colombo

PRESS RELEASE
Release no. 20060811

Negotiations Are The Only Way Forward

The events of the past weeks demonstrate again that there can be no military solution to the conflict that continues to divide Sri Lankans. The people of Sri Lanka need and deserve peace. The United States is deeply concerned by the dislocation of tens of thousands of innocent civilians and the killing of NGO personnel in the northeast.

We call on the LTTE to return to political negotiations and to renounce terrorism. At the same time, we look to the Government of Sri Lanka to address the legitimate grievances of Tamil-speaking people and to respond to incidents of violence against civilians with prompt, independent investigations. Without political commitment and a spirit of compromise between both parties, there will be no end to the conflict. There is no other way forward than through a return to negotiations.