Hope for Sri Lanka peace

People are weary after 18 years of conflict

By Frances Harrison in Colombo

Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar, has said an end to the country's 18-year-long civil war is near because both sides are suffering from fatigue.

Mr Kadirgamar appealed to Tamil Tiger rebels to continue with current peace initiatives despite facing a ban in Britain under new anti-terrorism legislation - something which he says has come as a blow to the rebels.

The army too wants the war to end

The foreign minister said that even in the Sri Lankan army there was now a general feeling the war against the Tamil separatists should be brought to a close.

He said on both sides there was a degree of tiredness after so much loss of human life and destruction of property, and it was possible this might be a year of agreement between enemies.

Rebel ban

In a message to Sri Lanka's Tamil minority, the minister said they should not treat the British decision to include the Tigers on a list of organisations to be outlawed as a blow against the Tamil people.

Rather, he said the Tamil people should ask the rebels to turn over a new leaf and eschew violence.

Tamil groups are shocked at the ban

And Mr Kadirgamar also had a message for the majority Sinhala people.

"Don't use this as an occasion for glorification. Look at it rather as the end of one chapter, hopefully, the violent chapter of our recent history and the opening of another chapter which might presage peace and therefore prosperity for our people," he said.

"I could put it like this, one battle has been won but the biggest battle is yet to be fought and that is the battle for peace," the minister added.

Divide

The fact that the minister had to issue separate messages to the country's two main ethnic groups shows how divided the two communities are over the issue of banning the Tamil Tigers.

Many Tamils have reacted with shock and concern whilst Sinhalese have been jubilant.

It is debatable how effective a ban in Britain will be in preventing the Tigers raising funds and thereby ending the war.

But the issue is assumed enormous importance in Sri Lanka as a test of strength between the two sides.