Australia condemns recent violence in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 April 2006, 11:53 GMT]
In a media release issued Tuesday in Colombo, the Australian Govnernment strongly condemned the "recent violence in Sri Lanka, particularly the attacks on Sri Lankan security forces personnel and civilians in the north and east," and expressed similar condemnation to the "murder in Trincomalee on 7 April of the Tamil political figure Mr V. Vigneswaran."

Full text of the media release follows:

The Australian Government strongly condemns the recent violence in Sri Lanka, particularly the attacks on Sri Lankan security forces personnel and civilians in the north and east. Australia similarly condemns the murder in Trincomalee on 7 April of the Tamil political figure Mr V. Vigneswaran.

Australia calls on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to cease the indiscriminate attacks on members of the security forces and civilians.

Australia commends the Government of Sri Lanka for not retaliating in kind and in continuing to call for a negotiated solution to the conflict.

Australia welcomes the commitment expressed by the Government of Sri Lanka to engage in talks with the LTTE and calls on the LTTE to desist from further acts of provocation and to engage constructively in future peace talks.

Australia further calls on both the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka to abide by the commitments made at the 22-23 February talks in Geneva and to work towards strengthening the ceasefire and building confidence of all parties.