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S Lanka rebels 'ready for truce' S Lanka rebels 'ready for truce'
(40 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. The Sri Lankan military has said that this must happen before the rebels 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.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 B 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 territoryThe 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. Mr Nadesan 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. "The LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] desires that this effort for a ceasefire... grows 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. But Sri Lankan military spokesman, Brig 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 past 25 years as the Tigers have fought for a separate homeland in the north and east of the country.