Elect Bob Rae in Toronto Centre!

Here are press comments from a number of countries, issued shortly after the Sri Lankan government said it would not honour the ceasefire agreement:

In response to questions about Sri Lankan Government's abrogation of Ceasefire Agreement of 2002, Official Spokesperson said:

04/01/2008

For India, any step that leads to a reduction in levels of violence and human suffering in Sri Lanka is welcome. Unfortunately, what we have seen recently has been an increase in violence, tension and conflict in Sri Lanka. At the same time, we are acutely conscious that what is required in Sri Lanka is a settlement of political, constitutional and other issues within the framework of united Sri Lanka with which all communities in Sri Lanka are comfortable. It is only through such a settlement that a lasting peace can return to that troubled country. We strongly believe that there is no military solution to the issue.

New Delhi
January 4, 2008

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http://colombo.usembassy.gov/

January 3, 2008

Statement by Sean McCormack, Spokesman,

U.S. Department of State

Government of Sri Lanka's Withdrawal from Ceasefire Agreement The United States is troubled by the Sri Lankan Government's January 2 decision to terminate the 2002 cease-fire agreement. Ending the cease-fire agreement will make it more difficult to achieve a lasting, peaceful solution to Sri Lanka's conflict. We call on both the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to avoid an escalation of hostilities and further civilian casualties.

All parties to the conflict share the responsibility to protect the rights of all of Sri Lanka's people. We urge them to work toward the goal of a just, political solution that ensures the rights of minority communities and benefits all Sri Lankans. Only a peaceful political solution, not a military one, offers a way out of the current cycle of escalating violence.

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http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPa...

THE GOVERNMENT OF SRI LANKA WITHDRAW FROM THE CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT (04/01/08)

Lord Malloch-Brown, commenting on the end of the Ceasefire Agreement said;

'I regret the lack of a genuine commitment to peace from the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka that has led to the end of the Ceasefire Agreement in Sri Lanka.

'I pay tribute to the tireless efforts of Norwegian facilitators and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, often in very difficult circumstances, to further the cause of peace in Sri Lanka.

'There can be no military solution to the conflict. It is vital now that the Government lives up to its commitment to address the grievances of Tamil people. It is essential that the final recommendations of the All Party Representative Committee issue soon and that the President urgently takes a bold and courageous lead from this foundation to set out a framework for a just political solution. We look to the political parties in Sri Lanka to place the need to work together for peace above their narrow self-interests.'

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http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/ferrero-waldner/speeches/index_en...

Commissioner on the situation in Sri Lanka

"I am deeply disappointed by the Sri Lankan government's decision to abrogate the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement. This decisions risks complicating the already difficult situation in the country.

I firmly condemn LTTE's recent acts of terror and statements announcing further violence from their side. As Co-Chair together with Japan, US and Norway we have always held the view that violence is not the appropriate way to solve this conflict. A lasting solution can only come from a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement.

I hope that the Sri Lankan government will come forward with a substantive devolution offer around which negotiations can start as soon as possible.
As the Co-Chairs stated in Japan last year, for an arrangement to be credible to minorities and to serve as a feasible base for negotiations, it needs to go beyond past offers that failed."

Canada is nowhere to be heard or seen. We have lost our voice, our capacity to contribute. It would appear we have no foreign policy, even where we have a stake, where tens of thousands of Canadians have relatives now caught in the quagmire of war and violence. Canada's inability to offer leadership is nothing short of disgraceful.