Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband expressed alarm Tuesday about civilian victims of a conflict in Sri Lanka that Mr Miliband called 'as close to hell as you can get'. They both have urged Sri Lankan government and LTTE to stop fighting "immediately" and allow an evacuation of trapped civilians.
Following their meeting Tuesday, Mr Miliband and Mrs Clinton released a joint statement expressing 'profound concern' about the crisis in Sri Lanka.
The statement urged all sides in Sri Lanka to "end hostilities immediately and allow for the safe evacuation of the tens of thousands of civilians trapped within the safe zone".
It also said London and Washington were alarmed "at the large number of reported civilian casualties over the past several days in the designated 'safe zone'".
Mr Milband said that he has spoken with Sri Lanka's foreign minister twice to protest amid allegations of indiscriminate shelling of civilians by government troops.
'Secretary Clinton and Foreign Secretary Miliband call for a political solution that reconciles all Sri Lankans, and establishes a meaningful role for Tamil and other minorities in national political life,' the joint statement said.
Read United States and United Kingdom Joint Statement On the Humanitarian Situation in Sri Lanka:
Bureau of Public Affairs
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
May 12, 2009
Following is the text of a joint statement on the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka issued today, May 12, 2009, by the United States and the United Kingdom, following the meeting between Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Foreign Secretary David Miliband at the Department of State in Washington, DC.
Begin text:
During their meeting today, Secretary Clinton and U.K. Foreign Secretary Miliband expressed their profound concern about the humanitarian crisis in northern Sri Lanka caused by the ongoing hostilities. They expressed alarm at the large number of reported civilian causalities over the past several days in the designated “safe” zone.
Secretary Clinton and Foreign Secretary Miliband call on all sides to end hostilities immediately and allow for the safe evacuation of the tens of thousands of civilians trapped within the safe zone. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam must lay down their arms and allow civilians free passage out of the conflict zone. The government of Sri Lanka must abide by its commitment of April 27 to end major combat operations and the use of heavy weapons.
Secretary Clinton and Foreign Secretary Miliband express their appreciation for the continued efforts of the United Nations and their staff on the ground in Sri Lanka. They call on the government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers to allow a UN humanitarian team to visit the conflict zone to facilitate the safe evacuation of civilians. They urge both sides to allow food and medical assistance to reach those trapped by fighting, cooperate with the ICRC to facilitate the evacuation of urgent medical cases, ensure the safety of aid and medical workers, and permit humanitarian access to all sites where displaced persons are being registered or being provided shelter. Secretary Clinton and Foreign Secretary Miliband call for a political solution that reconciles all Sri Lankans, and establishes a meaningful role for Tamil and other minorities in national political life.
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Comments (6)
Subscribe to this comment's feedCeasefire and political solution
Temporary ceasefire will only help for short period of time, it is like taking painkiller medication for cancer. In Srilanka we need permanant ceasefire and then poltical peace talk toward permanat political solution. Tamils around world shows mass support to Tamil Tigers, therefore peace talk without Tamil Tigers won't help for real peace in Srilanka, this is the reallity wether anyone like or not. I believe this is the right time for both, UN & IC should act fast before further genocide of Tamils.
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May 13, 2009
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MASS MASSACRE
Thankyou MRS CLINTON and MR DAVID MILLIBAND calling for end this humanitarian crisis.but the srilankan have clear AGENDA contiunue this GENOCIDE . please bring tougher ECONOMIC AND DIPLOMATIC ACTION against the SRILANKAN GOVERMENT [the well structured terrorist organization the goverment of SRILANKA ]
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May 13, 2009
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Thank You... but it is not working
Thank you for all the efforts Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Milliband you have put in thus far... but your concerns or statements do not help to move the Sri Lankan Govt. an inch. These soft approaches may work only with civilised, dignified governments with high morality. This will not work with the barbaric Sri Lankan Govt. which is full of unethical morons. The people and the politicians in the civilised world should now be able to realise what kind of brutal Sinhalese Govts and their atrocities the Tamils have to put up with for decades, right from the independence in 1948. The world should also understand now it is not the Tamil Tigers who started it.... It is the sinhalese Govts that created the Tamil Tigers.
Tigers surfaced only in the early eighties and the 83 July attack by the tigers and then the 83 communal pogrom were significant events. But, how about the pre 83 period?
1956 Inginiyakala Massacre (05.08.1956)
1958 Communal Pogrom
1974 Tamil Research Conference Massacre (10.01.1974)
1977 Communal Pogrom
1981 Communal pogrom
1981 Burning of the Jaffna Library (01.06.1981) - One of the biggest damages done to the tamil community and the tamils who lived in Jaffna during this period will never forget this Cultural Genocide. (The rest of the burning and looting of business establishments in Jaffna city was overshadowed by the burning of the library.)
Pre 83 - there were no tigers and there were no arms. It is very clearly proved to the world that the successive sinhalese Govts from the Independence in 1948 had planned and executed the supprerssion and slow genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka. It has been proved by a number of events over the past 60 years that Sinhalese Govts are not interested in a viable solution and the Tamils and Sinhalese cannot live in harmony under one rule. It is time for the World to recognise the Tamils demand of self determination. This is the only way forward....
TWO NATIONS IN PEACE IS DEFINITELY BETTER THAN ONE NATION IN WAR.
Tigers surfaced only in the early eighties and the 83 July attack by the tigers and then the 83 communal pogrom were significant events. But, how about the pre 83 period?
1956 Inginiyakala Massacre (05.08.1956)
1958 Communal Pogrom
1974 Tamil Research Conference Massacre (10.01.1974)
1977 Communal Pogrom
1981 Communal pogrom
1981 Burning of the Jaffna Library (01.06.1981) - One of the biggest damages done to the tamil community and the tamils who lived in Jaffna during this period will never forget this Cultural Genocide. (The rest of the burning and looting of business establishments in Jaffna city was overshadowed by the burning of the library.)
Pre 83 - there were no tigers and there were no arms. It is very clearly proved to the world that the successive sinhalese Govts from the Independence in 1948 had planned and executed the supprerssion and slow genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka. It has been proved by a number of events over the past 60 years that Sinhalese Govts are not interested in a viable solution and the Tamils and Sinhalese cannot live in harmony under one rule. It is time for the World to recognise the Tamils demand of self determination. This is the only way forward....
TWO NATIONS IN PEACE IS DEFINITELY BETTER THAN ONE NATION IN WAR.
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May 13, 2009
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please act immediatly
Thankyou so much for your kindly messege.we hope it's save several thousand of peobles from
dangerous situation.we have lost more than enough to get our real freedom from srilanlan gov.
realy we all our tamil peobles are very very sad about our peobles dies everyday.it's make most pain
in our heart.so.....please dont wait any one miniute to make a ceasfire.please please please ........
we kindly ask you to save our peobles and give them real freedom.they must go back their own place,where they lived long long yreas with happy and peaceful.
dangerous situation.we have lost more than enough to get our real freedom from srilanlan gov.
realy we all our tamil peobles are very very sad about our peobles dies everyday.it's make most pain
in our heart.so.....please dont wait any one miniute to make a ceasfire.please please please ........
we kindly ask you to save our peobles and give them real freedom.they must go back their own place,where they lived long long yreas with happy and peaceful.
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May 13, 2009
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Please bring immediate ceasefire
Thank you very much MRS CLINTON and MR DAVID MILLIBAND calling for ceasefire. Thousands of people killing and wounding every day by shelling and aerial bombing in Vanni. Children and elderly people are most effected. Now, the world know that tamils can't live any more with Sinhalese. We would like to live in our land with freedom and peace. If you wait more, we will lose remaining people in the war area because government planning to do severe fight within next 48hrs. So, please don't wait any more and bring the permanent ceasefire immediately.
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May 13, 2009
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Yours statements will not help the people in Vanni and in concentration camp who are being bombed, starved, tortured and raped. You have been giving this statement for the past five months. Has this stopped the killing of innocent civilians or the bombing by the Sri Lankan government? More than 10000 people died over 5 months.
Please DO something to help our People……..NO STATEMENTS. Eelam Tamils will not TRUST any Singhalese government and thats the FACT.