EU MPS CONDEMN LTTE
Members of the European Parliament yesterday adopted a resolution
“condemning the LTTE’s violence and intimidation which are preventing
civilians from leaving the conflict area”, and “callings for an
immediate ceasefire by the Sri Lankan army and the LTTE in order to
allow the civilian population to leave the combat zone”.
In a debate at the European Parliament held in Strasbourg on
Wednesday night, British Conservative MEP and Chairman of the ‘Friends
of Sri Lanka Group’ Geoffrey van Orden told Parliament that “the LTTE is
now in a desperate end game and, typically in such situations, is
turning to international apologists to get it off the hook.
Referring suggestions to water down the statement in favour of the
LTTE, Van Orden said:
“We cannot support amendments to the resolution before us based on
unattributable and often nonsensical allegations or selective quotation
from one NGO report. And we have no good reason to dispute the
Government’s firm assertion that its troops have not fired on no-fire
zones and nor will they”.
He added: “The greatest service all in this House can do is call on
the LTTE to lay down its arms and to release the civil population from
its grip.
Then much-needed humanitarian aid can be delivered, people can begin
to look forward to better lives, and all Sri Lankans can get back on the
path of democratic politics and building a fair and more prosperous
society for all its citizens, free from terrorist oppression”.
British Conservative MEP and Conservative Foreign Affairs Spokesman
Charles Tannock said “we should be resolute in our support for President
Rajapaksa and his efforts to end an insurgency that has brought untold
human misery to Sri Lanka and severely retarded economic development on
that beautiful island.
However, thousands of innocent civilian IDPs still remain trapped on
a narrow coastal strip. These civilians must be allowed to leave so that
the army can conclude its offensive.
It is reprehensible but entirely to be expected of the Tigers that
they are exploiting these civilians as human shields.
The Tigers have been deaf to appeals from the international community
to surrender or establish a temporary humanitarian corridor.
Nevertheless, allowing the UN and other organizations to arrange safe
passage from the conflict zone for these civilians is essential to avoid
a bloodbath.
Sri Lanka appreciates its own responsibility in this regard and wants
to avoid civilian casualties but understandably the army’s patience is
limited and fears that the Tigers will seek to escape by a sea
evacuation mixing in with the civilians.
Therefore we endorse the establishment of a humanitarian corridor and
an immediate and temporary cessation of hostilities but we also want to
see the comprehensive defeat of the LTTE and a peaceful, just and
multi-ethnic Sri Lanka established in its place, where there is maximum
autonomy to the Tamil majority areas and an equitable sharing of
resources and power within a unitary Sri Lankan state”.
German Socialist MEP Jo Leinen said: “I agree that the solution to
Sri Lanka’s problems should be a political one and not a military one.
The LTTE must make a step that it is not taking and that is to lay down
its arms and put an end to terrorism. Imagine a member state of the EU
under terrorism for 25 years?. With all the resultant chaos you can
easily imagine that I am in favour of the Tamil’s cause, but reject the
method of the LTTE. For weeks now we have been hearing about hundreds of
thousands of people being trapped in a small area of land. We heard
according to eye witnesses that people are being shot if they leave this
zone. We must call upon the LTTE to end these practices. This can’t go
on like this. We must call on the government to respect international
law and allow in humanitarian aid. There is a fundamental demand on both
sides to help the victims. We must prepare for the post-war period. The
13th Amendment to the constitution must be applied to provide a certain
amount of self-governance and the EU can provide assistance. I am sure
that the Commissioner is prepared to do that.”
European Commissioner for External Relations Benota Ferraro-Waldner
who made observations during the debate said: “As one of the Co-chairs
of the Tokyo peace process the EU was particularly pre-occupied with the
plight of thousands of internally displaced persons trapped by fighting
in Northern Sri Lanka”. She said: “The Government’s recent announcement
to open for evacuation roads at the North and the South of the no fire
zone is indeed a positive step. But we want to know how this work will
be practiced. We have called on the LTTE and the Sri Lankan authorities
to protect the civilian population as required under the International
Humanitarian Law, to allow the safe and voluntary movement of people
away from the conflict zone”. The Commissioner added that “the
Commission is convinced that the outcome of this crisis will have
lasting consequences to peace reconciliation and the unity of Sri Lanka
and in this context supports calls by Sir John Holmes to the Government
of Sri Lanka to interrupt the hostilities to allow time for the civilian
population to get out safely and to the LTTE to let the civilians go and
agree to a peaceful end to a fighting. Also the co-chairs have appealed
to the LTTE to lay down their arms, but unfortunately I have to say that
this call has been rejected, even ignored”.
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The European Parliament (Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected
parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU).
The Parliament is composed of 785 MEPs (Member of the European
Parliament).
It has been directly elected every five years by universal suffrage
since 1979.
The European Parliament has two meeting places, namely the Louise
Weiss building in Strasbourg, France and the Espace L‚opold complex in
Brussels, Belgium.
The Secretariat of the European Parliament, the Parliament’s
administrative body, is based in Luxembourg.
The President of the European Parliament (its Speaker) is Hans-Gert
P”ttering (EPP).
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The LTTE is now in a desperate end game
- Geoffrey van Orden
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We should be resolute in our support for President Mahinda Rajapaksa
- Charles Tannock
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I am in favour of the Tamil’s cause, but reject the method of the
LTTE
- Jo Leinen
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LTTE has ignored call to lay down arms
- Ferraro Waldner
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