| The government of Sri Lanka says it is | | | | autonomous homeland for Sri Lanka's minority |
| withdrawing from a cease-fire agreement with | | | | Tamil community. |
| Tamil rebels because the pact has become | | | | In the past two years, near-daily clashes on the |
| meaningless. Anjana Pasricha reports from New | | | | battlefield, assassinations and bombings have killed |
| Delhi the withdrawal is largely symbolic because | | | | about 5,000 people. |
| the Norwegian-brokered truce collapsed two | | | | Political analysts say ending the truce will polarize |
| years ago. | | | | the two sides even further. They say the |
| The government's decision to end a 2002 truce | | | | government, which has scored some military |
| agreement with Tamil rebels came as virtually | | | | successes against the rebels, wants to defeat |
| everyone acknowledged that the pact existed | | | | them on the battlefield. |
| only in name. | | | | Foreign Secretary Kohona says ending the |
| The announcement came late Wednesday after a | | | | country's ethnic conflict should not be linked to |
| meeting among senior Cabinet ministers. | | | | negotiations with the rebels. |
| Sri Lanka's foreign secretary, Palitha Kohona, says | | | | "A political settlement is not necessarily going to |
| the government is "reluctantly" ending the truce | | | | be with the Tamil Tigers," added Kohona. It will |
| because it did not achieve what it was supposed | | | | take into account the concerns of the Tamil |
| to - a peace settlement with the rebels, known | | | | people of Sri Lanka and the other minorities of Sri |
| as the LTTE. | | | | Lanka." |
| "From the beginning it was observed only in the | | | | Norwegian mediators have expressed concern |
| breach by the LTTE. In the first couple of years, | | | | about the government's decision to end the truce, |
| it used the cease-fire agreement to regroup, | | | | calling it a "serious step." Norway's foreign ministry |
| rearm, and then in 2005 it launched massive | | | | Web site says there have been increasingly |
| attacks on government forces," said Kohona. "In a | | | | frequent and brutal attacks by both parties, and |
| real practical sense, this agreement served very | | | | there is concern that violence and hostilities will |
| little purpose." | | | | escalate further. |
| Both the rebels and the government routinely | | | | The truce had received wide international support, |
| blame each other for the resumption of hostilities. | | | | and raised hopes of ending the country's |
| The fighting began soon after a hard-line | | | | quarter-century long ethnic conflict. But the formal |
| government took over in Colombo, and the rebels | | | | ending of the cease-fire means the civil war could |
| accused the government of a lack of seriousness | | | | drag on for years. |
| in pursuing peace talks. The Tamil rebels want an | | | | |