Government extends ceasefire
[January 21, 2002 - 10.45 GMT]

The Government of Sri Lanka has extended till 24^th February 2002, the unilateral ceasefire which was due to expire at midnight on January 24^th, the Norwegian Government announced in a press release Sunday.

The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremasighe, had on Sunday requested the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, “to make public that the Government of Sri Lanka is extending their unilateral cease-fire up to February 24 in order to provide Norway time to facilitate a mutually agreed ceasefire between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.”

The Norwegian government is acting as facilitator in a peace process for the commencement of talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The LTTE has been fighting government forces over the past seventeen years to establish a separate state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for the 12% Tamil population.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in an official statement issued earlier on Sunday announced the extension of its unilaterally declared cessation of hostilities for another one month, from midnight 24 January to midnight 24 February 2002.

“We have decided to extend the truce for another month as a gesture of peace and goodwill and also to provide further space and time for the Norwegian facilitators to work out terms and conditions for a mutually agreed structured ceasefire. We fervently hope that the Government of Sri Lanka will reciprocate favourably to our goodwill gesture and extend the period of peace accordingly,” the LTTE’s statement said.

According to the statement, the LTTE leadership has, through its chief negotiator Anton Balasingham, informed the Royal Norwegian government of its decision to extend the truce and requested the facilitators to convey the decision to the Government of Sri Lanka. 

The Government of Sri Lanka began the New Year by lifting the embargo on the transport of several items to the Wanni area in the North of Sri Lanka as a measure of goodwill.

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Last Updated Date: January 21, 2002  - 10.45 GMT.