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Tuesday, January 27, 2009 - 10.55 GMT |
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LTTE must desist from firing from
civilian areas
- US Ambassador
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The LTTE must immediately desist from firing
heavy weapons from areas within or near
civilian concentrations. The Government must
also resist the temptation to launch
retaliatory shelling into areas populated by
civilians,” stated U.S. Ambassador Robert
Blake.
“Both sides must exercise maximum restraint
to ensure civilians are not caught in
crossfire,” he said today at a ceremony in
Wellampitiya to hand over US$6.9 million in
food aid to the World Food Program (WFP) for
distribution to internally displaced person
in the North
He said: "The LTTE leadership must live up
to its obligations under international
humanitarian law to allow those trapped by
fighting freedom of movement so they can
escape the fighting".
Today’s donation, including 1,344 tons of
lentils, 779 tons of vegetable oil, and
4,270 tons of wheat, is the most recent
contribution of food relief by the US
Government through the United States Agency
for International Development (USAID).
In his remarks, the Ambassador expressed
grave concern for the more than 230,000
internally displaced persons trapped by
fighting in the north who currently face
great danger as fighting gets closer to the
no-fire zone established by the Government.
He urged both the LTTE and the Government to
take special care now to protect civilians.
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