US urges south to form basis for renewed talks

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 January 2007, 12:57 GMT]
"Attacks that deliberately target civilians are clear acts of terrorism," said US Embassy in a press statement Tuesday, condemning the attacks on civilian buses and stated that the "on going violence in Vakarai" has caused significant hardship to civilians. The US has urged the SLFP, UNP and the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) to "accelerate their concentration of the power sharing proposal" that can form the basis for renewed peace talks.

The statement reiterated that there is no military solution to the conflict.

Full text of the press statement issued by the US Embassy in Colombo follows:

US Ambassador in Kandy condemns attacks on buses

Kandy - January 09, 2007: The United States condemns the bomb attacks on civilian buses that took place on January 5th and January 6th that claimed the lives of numerous innocent civilians and wounded many more. Attacks that deliberately target civilians are clear acts of terrorism. The United States extends its deepest sympathy to the families of the victims.

We reiterate that there can be no military solution to this conflict. 25 years of terrorism has not improved the lives of the Tamil people. Similarly, the on going violence in Vakarai has caused significant hardship for Sri Lankans living in that area. The solution in our view lies in a negotiated settlement that meets the aspirations of all of Sri Lanka's communities -- Sinhalese, Tamil, and Muslim. The current APRC process and the SLFP-UNP agreement to cooperate on the peace process mark a significant opportunity to develop a power sharing proposal that can form the basis for renewed peace talks.

The United States urges the SLFP, UNP and APRC to accelerate their consideration of the power sharing proposal so that a ceasefire can take hold and talks can begin.