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Sri Lanka rebels call ceasefire Sri Lanka rebels call ceasefire
(31 minutes later)
Tamil Tiger rebels fighting government forces in north-east Sri Lanka have declared a unilateral ceasefire.Tamil Tiger rebels fighting government forces in north-east Sri Lanka have declared a unilateral ceasefire.
A Tamil Tiger spokesman told the BBC the move was due to what he called an "unprecedented humanitarian crisis". Rebel spokesman Seevaratnam Puleethevan told the BBC the move was due to an "unprecedented humanitarian crisis".
Sri Lanka's defence secretary however dismissed the announcement as "a joke", insisting the rebels must surrender.Sri Lanka's defence secretary however dismissed the announcement as "a joke", insisting the rebels must surrender.
The rebels have been beaten back to a 12 sq km (5 sq m) area. The UN says some 50,000 civilians remain trapped but the army puts the number at 15,000.The rebels have been beaten back to a 12 sq km (5 sq m) area. The UN says some 50,000 civilians remain trapped but the army puts the number at 15,000.
See a map of the region See a map of the region
The announcement came as the United Nations' top humanitarian official, John Holmes, was meeting Sri Lankan officials to call for access for aid workers to the war zone and government-run camps for thousands of displaced people.The announcement came as the United Nations' top humanitarian official, John Holmes, was meeting Sri Lankan officials to call for access for aid workers to the war zone and government-run camps for thousands of displaced people.
Aid workers have been barred from the area since the fighting escalated last year. Aid workers have been barred from the area since the fighting escalated last year and the rebels say the government is deliberately blocking food aid - a charge the Sri Lankan authorities deny.
The rebels say the government is deliberately blocking food aid there - a charge the Sri Lankan authorities have denied.
Rebels on back footRebels on back foot
In a statement, the rebels said they were responding to "calls made by the UN, EU, the governments of India and others". The rebels said they were responding to "calls made by the UN, EU, the governments of India and others".
Troops have ringed off the Tigers
They said the unilateral ceasefire would come into immediate effect.They said the unilateral ceasefire would come into immediate effect.
Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa however told the BBC the ceasefire was "a joke" that came from "the losing side." Spokesman Mr Puleethevan added that the Tigers would maintain their ceasefire only if the government reciprocated.
"It is purely for humanitarian purposes and the duration will depend on the response of the Sri Lankan government," he told AFP news agency by phone from inside rebel-held territory.
Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa told the BBC the Tigers were the "the losing side."
Saying the army was within "walking distance" of rebel-controlled areas, he called for the rebels to surrender immediately and release all civilians within the conflict zone.Saying the army was within "walking distance" of rebel-controlled areas, he called for the rebels to surrender immediately and release all civilians within the conflict zone.
Images from surveillance drones showed there were 15,000 civilians left in the war zone, he added.Images from surveillance drones showed there were 15,000 civilians left in the war zone, he added.
Denying media reports that he had been stopping food supplies to trapped civilians, he said that he himself had asked the World Food Programme and the Red Cross to deliver relief to them.Denying media reports that he had been stopping food supplies to trapped civilians, he said that he himself had asked the World Food Programme and the Red Cross to deliver relief to them.
The BBC's Charles Haviland in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, says the Tigers' declaration is a sign that the rebels are feeling increasingly under pressure.The BBC's Charles Haviland in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, says the Tigers' declaration is a sign that the rebels are feeling increasingly under pressure.
He says the government, by contrast, feels it it is moving forward in its campaign against the Tigers and has had them on the back foot for a long time.He says the government, by contrast, feels it it is moving forward in its campaign against the Tigers and has had them on the back foot for a long time.
The Tamil Tigers have fought for an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority since 1983.The Tamil Tigers have fought for an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority since 1983.
More than 70,000 people have been killed in the war, but that figure could now be far higher because of intensified fighting in recent weeks.More than 70,000 people have been killed in the war, but that figure could now be far higher because of intensified fighting in recent weeks.
Hospitals and government-run camps for displaced people in the north-east have been flooded by people fleeing the shrinking rebel-held zone as the military closes in on the rebels.Hospitals and government-run camps for displaced people in the north-east have been flooded by people fleeing the shrinking rebel-held zone as the military closes in on the rebels.
'Very dire' situation'Very dire' situation
Speaking in Thailand on his way to Sri Lanka, Mr Holmes said the civilians caught up in the conflict were suffering not only a high casualty rate from the fighting but from a lack of access to food, clean water and medical supplies.Speaking in Thailand on his way to Sri Lanka, Mr Holmes said the civilians caught up in the conflict were suffering not only a high casualty rate from the fighting but from a lack of access to food, clean water and medical supplies.
"The situation of these people is very dire and that's why we need to somehow find a way to stop the fighting and get them out of there so we can look after them properly," he said."The situation of these people is very dire and that's why we need to somehow find a way to stop the fighting and get them out of there so we can look after them properly," he said.
A UN document being circulated around diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka estimates that nearly 6,500 civilians have died and 14,000 have been injured since the end of January.A UN document being circulated around diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka estimates that nearly 6,500 civilians have died and 14,000 have been injured since the end of January.
The White House said it was "deeply concerned about the plight of innocent civilians caught up in the conflict between the government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers and the mounting death toll".The White House said it was "deeply concerned about the plight of innocent civilians caught up in the conflict between the government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers and the mounting death toll".
It called on both sides to adhere to international humanitarian law and to "stop fighting immediately and allow civilians to safely leave the combat zone".It called on both sides to adhere to international humanitarian law and to "stop fighting immediately and allow civilians to safely leave the combat zone".
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