2ND LEAD

Britain says Ki'linochchi's fall calls for progress on political solution

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 January 2009, 08:06 GMT]
The capture of the former administrative capital of the LTTE by Sri Lankan armed forces makes it even more urgent that all parties achieve progress on setting out a political solution that addresses the "legitimate concerns of all communities," said a statement issued by the British High Commission on January 06. Tamil political observers note that the statement has come after two noteworthy observations in December: the British Defence Attache in Colombo taking part in a trip to Sri Lankan military command in Vanni on 15 December, and the British Minister of State at the Foreign Commonwealth Office, at an adjournment debate in British Parliament, exposing the fact that his government still had faith in the APRC myth created by the Rajapaksa regime.

The statement on the "Fall of Ki'linochchi" was made jointly by the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British Government Lord Maaloch-Brown and Douglas Alexander, the secretary of state for International Development.

Full text of the statement issued by the British High Commission in Colombo follows:

Joint Statement by Lord Malloch-Brown and Douglas Alexander on the Fall of Kilinochchi

"We continue to monitor developments in Sri Lanka closely, including on 2 January the capture of Kilinochchi, the former administrative capital of the LTTE in the north of the country, by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. This development makes it even more urgent that all parties achieve progress on setting out a political solution that addresses the legitimate concerns of all communities. This is the only way to achieve a strong and sustainable peace in Sri Lanka in which all communities can prosper. We remain concerned about the humanitarian impact of the conflict and call on all parties to abide by their obligations under International Humanitarian Law, in particular the need to ensure the safety of civilians, to allow their free movement in the Vanni and to enhance access for humanitarian agencies to facilitate the delivery of adequate supplies of humanitarian aid."

Chronology:


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