The European Union is gravely concerned at the continuing violence in Sri Lanka. The people of Sri Lanka want peace. Those behind the violence seem to want a return to conflict knowing that this will bring further suffering to all Sri Lanka's communities, including those they claim to represent. The European Union urges all those engaged in violence, and all those with influence upon them, to arrest this descent into conflict.

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The full implementation of the current Ceasefire Agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is essential for any progress towards a lasting peace. The European Union condemns in the strongest possible terms those who perpetrated the attack at the offices of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Batticaloa on 13 January. This attack was a deliberate attempt to undermine the Ceasefire Agreement.

The SLMM is an unarmed body, invited by both the government and the LTTE to monitor the Ceasefire Agreement. The European Union calls upon the parties to the Ceasefire Agreement to ensure the security of the SLMM in order to allow the mission to fulfil its mandate.

The European Union renews its commitment to the SLMM and commends the contributing countries Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden for their invaluable work.

The European Union urges the LTTE to agree to meet representatives of the Government without delay to discuss the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement.