Military option rejected as donors warn Sri Lanka against war

May 30, 2006 (AFP) - Sri Lanka's president Tuesday ruled out military action against the Tamil Tigers as international donors warned the two sides to halt a slide back to war and police found the bodies of 12 victims of an execution-style massacre.









In what Western diplomats here saw as a last ditch attempt to stall the EU ban, the Tigers on Monday accepted an invitation from Norway to travel to Oslo next month to discuss how to shore up the ceasefire agreement.

President Mahinda Rajapakse's office said he was ready to resume peace talks with the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) despite the ban slapped on the group by the 25-member European Union (EU) Monday.

Sri Lanka's key foreign aid donors meeting in Tokyo slammed both Colombo and the Tigers for the deteriorating security situation in the island where more than 600 people have been killed since December despite a ceasefire.

"The international community remains committed to its supporting role agreed three years ago, but it turns to the government and the LTTE to deliver on their side of the bargain if war is to be avoided," the donors said.

In a statement issued after the crucial review of their involvement in the faltering peace initiative, the United States, the European