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Stop the fighting: Co-Chairs appeal

The Co-Chairs – the United States, the European Union, Japan and Norway -- yesterday expressed concern about the continued violence and called on the government and the LTTE to cease hostilities immediately and return to the negotiating table.

‘Both parties should make the utmost effort to prevent a further escalation of violence and loss of life. Violence is not the way to resolve the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.

The suffering inflicted on innocent civilians is intolerable,” they said in a statement.

The Co-Chairs said they remain fully committed to supporting the peace process and the work of the Norwegian facilitator.

“The personnel of the SLMM in particular must be supported and their security guaranteed,” the statement said. The Co-Chairs said they were seriously concerned about the “growing humanitarian crisis”.

“Several tens of thousands of people have already been forced to leave their homes in the Trincomalee district, adding to the already high number of internally displaced people in Sri Lanka.

Both parties should take immediate action to allow relief agencies to assist victims from all three ethnic groups and to grant access to disputed areas. This is a matter of priority to avoid a humanitarian disaster, the statement said.

The Co-Chairs said they plan to meet soon to fully assess the situation and discuss what they called appropriate action.

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