Sri Lanka rebels declare ceasefire for South Asian summit

Sri Lanka's separatist Tamil Tiger rebels declared on Tuesday a unilateral ceasefire with the military during a 10-day meeting of South Asian leaders starting here this week.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said the ceasefire was an attempt to help ensure the success of the eight-member South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation conference in the capital.

"Our movement will observe a unilateral ceasefire during the period of the SAARC conference from 26th July to 4th August and give our cooperation for the success of the conference," the Tamil Tigers said in a statement.

Colombo is hosting the 15th SAARC summit which groups Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan as well as Sri Lanka.

However the rebels said they would be forced to take "defensive action" if the Sri Lankan government failed to respect the gesture and the military carried out any offensives.

"If the occupying Sinhala forces (military) disrespects our goodwill gesture of our people and our nation, (or) carry out any offensives, our movement will be forced to take defensive actions," said Balasingham Nadesan, head of the group's political wing.

Fighting between rebels and the military is currently centred around the north, but the rebels also carry out attacks against military, economic and civilian targets elsewhere on the island, including near the capital.

The LTTE have been fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils since 1972, with tens of thousands killed on both sides of the conflict.

Sri Lanka pulled out of a Norweigian-backed 2002 truce with the LTTE in January, as Colombo felt it had the upper hand to defeat the rebels. They also accused the rebels of using the period to regroup and re-arm.

The head of Sri Lanka's peace secretariat, Rajiva Wijesinghe, said the government needed time to carefully consider the rebel's move.

"We need peace. We will wait and see if they will make the offer to us directly or through Norway (the peace facilitator), if they (LTTE) are serious about it," Wijesinghe told reporters.

"They (LTTE) has offered similar things in the past and militarily beefed up their capabilities. We need to be careful," Wijesinghe said.

At least two similar truce offers were made by the rebels between 1994 and 2001, which were rejected by the then Sri Lankan government.

Nadesan ruled out peace talks with the government, saying Colombo appeared determined to push ahead with a military solution.

"The chauvinistic Sinhala regime (government) is putting its trust in a military solution, the war is spreading and is turning more and more intense." The rebels' offer came as the Sri Lankan navy Tuesday sank a rebel boat and destroyed two others during a pre-dawn sea battle off the northern coast in Pulmoddai, the defence ministry said.

There were no military casualties, the ministry said. The rebels did not comment on the incident.

Sri Lanka's army chief said last week his forces had wiped out two-thirds of the rebels' military capability, and that the conflict was at its tail-end.

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