New York, May 14 (Inditop) The UN Security Council has strongly condemned Tamil rebels for acts of terrorism and for using civilians as human shields in their war against the Sri Lankan government.
The council said Wednesday it was concerned about the worsening humanitarian crisis in northeast Sri Lanka with reports of hundreds of civilians trapped by the fighting. It called on the government as well as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to ensure the safety of the civilians.
The council said in a statement that it “strongly condemns the LTTE for its acts of terrorism over the years and for its continued use of civilians as human shields and acknowledges the legitimacy of the government of Sri Lanka to combat terrorism”.
It demanded that the “LTTE lay down its arms and allow the tens of thousands of civilians still in the conflict zone to leave”.
The council said that the Sri Lankan government should take steps to facilitate the evacuation of trapped civilians and the urgent delivery of relief supplies.
The UN was “mindful of the necessity to find a long-term solution without the threat of violence and underlines that the needs of all communities in Sri Lanka have to be addressed”.
