Jaffna Bishop urges firm action from Co-chairs

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 December 2006, 12:55 GMT]
Robert O. Blake, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka paid a sudden visit to Jaffna Thursday and met with Jaffna Bishop Rev. Thomas Soundaranayagam at the Bishop's House, and discussed the current situation in the Jaffna peninsula, source in Jaffna said. The Rev. Bishop stressed on the urgent need for the Co-chair countries to exert due pressure on the Sri Lanka government (GoSL) to restore peace in Sri Lanka, Bishop's House sources said.

The US envoy was very keen to learn first hand the situation in Jaffna, and met the officials of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC) Jaffna, K. Ganesh, Jaffna Government Agent (GA), Srinithi Nanthasegaran, Additional District Majistrate and other key figures in the peninsula, Jaffna sources said.

A solution to the ethnic issue can be found only by implementing the agreements reached in the talks between the GoSL and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and by full adherence to the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) by both parties, Rev. Bishop told the US Ambassador, the sources said.

Rev. Bishop wanted the US envoy to prevail on the LTTE to enter talks with the GoSL and thereby bring relief to the Tamils, sources added.