The European Union called on the Government of Sri Lanka to make steps towards an inclusive and peaceful political process. The yesterday's statement by EU further reads "the EU believes this is the only way in which lasting peace in Sri Lanka will be achieved."
The EU condemned the killings of civilians and called both parties to take all necessary action to avoid further civilian casualties. It also urged the relevant parties to provide full and unrestricted access to aid agencies for humanitarian aid to be safely delivered, and to allow an evacuation of the civilians in the affected area without delay.
European Union while requesting LTTE to allow civilians to leave the conflict area, also urged the Government of Sri Lanka to allow international oversight of all Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) as soon as they leave the conflict zone and to fulfill the commitments it has made to improve conditions in the IDP camps.
Meanwhile G8 foreign ministers have called for both parties in the conflict to end the war and said, that they support all relevant international efforts to bring about such an end and will keep on monitoring closely the situation in Sri Lanka.
The European Union President's statement on Sri Lanka issued on 25 April 2009:
The EU expresses deep concern about the large number of civilian casualties and deteriorating humanitarian situation in the North of Sri Lanka.
The plight of the civilians still trapped by the fighting and who remain at extreme risk from the ongoing hostilities is our primary concern.The EU strongly condemns the killings of civilians and calls on all parties to take all necessary action to avoid further civilian casualties. The EU condemns in the strongest possible terms the LTTE for the use of civilians as human shields. Both the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE must fully comply with international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of civilians at all times.
The EU welcomed the two-day ceasefire declared by the Government of Sri Lanka. It welcomes reports that significant numbers of civilians could have escaped from the conflict zone, but the UN estimates that tens of thousands of civilians still remain caught in the conflict area. It welcomes the UN Secretary General's decision to send a humanitarian team to the No Fire Zone, and calls on the Government of Sri Lanka to facilitate its work.
It urges the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to provide for the establishment of full and unrestricted access for humanitarian aid to be safely delivered, and to allow an evacuation of the civilians in the affected area without delay. It is now imperative for the UN and its staff to be allowed to facilitate relief operations and the evacuation of the civilians. The LTTE must allow civilians to leave the conflict area to move to safety without fear of injury.
We urge the Government of Sri Lanka to allow international oversight of all Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) as soon as they have left the conflict zone; and to fulfill the commitments it has made to improve conditions in the IDP camps including: better access to medical facilities; transparent registration processes; international monitoring; and freedom of movement in and out of the camps.
The EU calls on the Government of Sri Lanka to make steps towards an inclusive and peaceful political process. The EU believes this is the only way in which lasting peace in Sri Lanka will be achieved. It encourages all stakeholders in Sri Lanka to urgently engage in such process in a responsible way to enable progress be made in finding a lasting political solution to the concerns of all communities in Sri Lanka. The EU repeats its earlier calls for the LTTE to renounce terrorism and violence.
G8 Foreign Ministers Statement on Sri Lanka issued on 25 April 2009:
We, the Foreign Ministers of the G8, express our deep concern about the mass civilian casualties and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Northern Sri Lanka.
The plight of the civilians still trapped by the fighting and who remain at extreme risk from the ongoing hostilities is our primary concern. The UN estimates that tens of thousands of civilians remain caught in the conflict area. We are deeply concerned at reports that civilians who have been injured are unable to move to safety. Strongly condemning the use of civilians as human shields by the LTTE, the killing of civilians and terrorism in all its manifestations, we call all parties to take all necessary action to avoid further civilian casualties. We support the decision by the UNSG to dispatch a UN humanitarian team to the no-fire zone.
It is time for the conflict to end now. The G8 Foreign Ministers support all relevant international efforts to bring about such an end and will keep on monitoring closely the situation in Sri Lanka.
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Or face all the consequences.