LTTE declares month-long ceasefire

COLOMBO, DEC 21: Tamil rebels fighting for a separate state in Sri Lanka declared a month-long ceasefire on Thursday, saying it was a good...

COLOMBO, DEC 21: Tamil rebels fighting for a separate state in Sri Lanka declared a month-long ceasefire on Thursday, saying it was a goodwill gesture to push forward a peace process to end 17 years of ethnic war.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam8217;s LTTE announcement is the biggest breakthrough in efforts to end the war since 1995, when the rebels broke a truce with an attack on a navy base, and also comes after a dramatic increase in violence over the past 12 months.

The declaration comes almost two months after a peace initiative was kickstarted by a surprise meeting between a Norwegian envoy and LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.

quot;If Sri Lanka responds positively by ceasing armed hostilities against our forces and takes steps to implement the Norwegian proposal of mutual confidence-building measures, the LTTE will be prepared to extend the period of peace to create cordial conditions and direct negotiations,quot; a rebel statement said.

The statement said Prabhakaran had issued orders for a unilateral ceasefire from midnight on December 24 to midnight on January 24.

quot;We make this declaration of cessation of armed hostilities unilaterally hoping that the Sri Lanka government will reciprocate positively and instruct its armed forces to observe peace during the festive season of Christmas, New Year and Pongal the Hindu Harvest Festival,quot; the LTTE said.

Meanwhile, there was no immediate reaction from the government, which has been forced on a diplomatic defensive since Prabhakaran called three weeks ago for unconditional talks and dropped previous demands for a truce and troop withdrawal first, both politically impossible for the government to meet.

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President Chandrika Kumaratunga is in Europe where she attended a meeting of Sri Lanka8217;s aid donors earlier this week.

More than 61,000 have died since the rebels began fightingfor a separate Tamil state in the North and east in 1983.

quot;Our desire to cease armed hostilities should be viewed as a genuine expression of goodwill indicating our sincere desire for peace and negotiated political settlement,quot; said the statement, which was faxed to Reuters from the LTTE8217;s London offices.

The government over the past week has also said it wanted unconditional talks but has questioned the sincerity of the LTTE, pointing to recent rebel attacks.

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Government forces have also launched two offensives since Prabhakaran met Norwegian envoy Erik Solheim.

Kumaratunga said earlier this week that Sri Lanka was ready to negotiate with the Tamil rebels, and was prepared to de-escalate the conflict, but added no troop withdrawals would take place until a negotiated settlement had been reached.

She did not explain what she meant by de-escalation. Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has said such issues could only be discussed once talks begin.

The government was forced to boost its military spending by 40 percent earlier this year to more than 1 billion to halt a massive rebel offensive in northern Jaffna peninsula.