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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| S Lanka rebels 'ready for truce' | S Lanka rebels 'ready for truce' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka have told the United Nations they are ready to comply with international calls for a ceasefire with government forces. | Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka have told the United Nations they are ready to comply with international calls for a ceasefire with government forces. |
| But the rebels said they would not lay down their weapons, as the government has demanded. | But the rebels said they would not lay down their weapons, as the government has demanded. |
| Meanwhile, a military spokesman said the rebels must lay down arms before they can take part in negotiations. | Meanwhile, a military spokesman said the rebels must lay down arms before they can take part in negotiations. |
| The Tigers have been driven from most of the territory they held by an army offensive in the past few weeks. | |
| 'Painful' | 'Painful' |
| The offer of a truce was made by Balasingham Nadesan, the political head of the rebels, in a letter to the United Nations and the international community. | The offer of a truce was made by Balasingham Nadesan, the political head of the rebels, in a letter to the United Nations and the international community. |
| "Already more than 2,000 civilians have been killed and more than 5,000 have been injured," Mr Nadesan wrote. | "Already more than 2,000 civilians have been killed and more than 5,000 have been injured," Mr Nadesan wrote. |
| The troops are pushing the Tigers into a shrinking territory | The troops are pushing the Tigers into a shrinking territory |
| "It is painful to see the world maintaining silence on this immense human suffering as if it is amused by what is going on." | "It is painful to see the world maintaining silence on this immense human suffering as if it is amused by what is going on." |
| The Tiger leader said a ceasefire was needed to end the miseries of the Tamil people. | The Tiger leader said a ceasefire was needed to end the miseries of the Tamil people. |
| "The LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] desires that this effort for a ceasefire... grow further into peace talks to seek a political solution to the ethnic conflict," he said. | |
| A Sri Lankan military spokesman, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, told the BBC the government would not accept a conditional truce from the rebels. | A Sri Lankan military spokesman, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, told the BBC the government would not accept a conditional truce from the rebels. |
| "They must lay down arms before they can come for negotiations," he said. | "They must lay down arms before they can come for negotiations," he said. |
| In recent weeks, a major Sri Lankan army offensive has inflicted a series of defeats on the Tamil Tiger forces, pushing the rebels into a narrow area of jungle in the north of Sri Lanka. | In recent weeks, a major Sri Lankan army offensive has inflicted a series of defeats on the Tamil Tiger forces, pushing the rebels into a narrow area of jungle in the north of Sri Lanka. |
| About 70,000 people have died in the last 25 years as the Tigers fought for a separate homeland in the north and east of the country. | About 70,000 people have died in the last 25 years as the Tigers fought for a separate homeland in the north and east of the country. |