U.K. Calls for a `Political Process' to End Sri Lanka Conflict

By Jay Shankar

Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) -- U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband called for a ``political process'' to end Sri Lanka's conflict with Tamil rebels, saying violence in the South Asian island nation has escalated in recent weeks.

``Violence can never provide an answer to Sri Lanka's problems,'' Miliband said in a statement posted on the Web site of the British Embassy in Colombo. ``A sustainable solution to the conflict can only emerge through a just political process involving all communities.''

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have been fighting for 25 years for a separate homeland for Tamils in a conflict that has killed more than 70,000 people. The military has stepped up attacks on the Tamil Tigers in the north after forcing them out of the eastern region in July.

The government has blamed the LTTE for killing more than 90 civilians since Jan. 1, 48 of them in three attacks between Feb. 2 and Feb. 4. Tamil rebels said 49 Tamil civilians were killed and 18 others ``disappeared'' during the conflict in January, according to a statement posted on the LTTE Web site.

Sri Lankan fighter jets bombed an LTTE command center and a communications station on Jan. 5. At least 31 rebels were killed in gun battles with government troops in Northern Province on Jan. 5, according to the Defense Ministry.

``I urge all in Sri Lanka to take steps to safeguard the civilian population and find ways to reduce the violence,'' Miliband said.

Source: Bloomberg