Sri Lankan army operations on hold

The army in Sri Lanka says it will not launch attacks against Tamil Tiger guerrillas over Christmas, a day after the rebels began a one-month unilateral ceasefire.

The army statement said, however, its action did not amount to a truce, just what it called a customary gesture over the holiday period.

The Sri Lankan government has already rejected the ceasefire offered by the guerrillas, despite pressure from the international community, saying it could only come into effect once peace talks had begun and were seen to be making progress.

The Sri Lankan army launched a major offensive on Friday, just hours after the rebels' offer of a ceasefire.

It says more than one-hundred-and-seventy people were killed in the fighting and significant advances were made. There's no independent confirmation as journalists are barred from battle zones.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service