Special report: Ceasefire over in Sri Lanka  

    COLOMBO, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- The face-to-face talks between the Sri Lanka government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels in Geneva over the weekend have failed due to the issue of opening a highway, said the government on Monday.

    The Health Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva who led the government delegation at the 2-day talks was quoted by the state radio Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation as saying that the LTTE maintained a rigid position on the issue of opening the A9 highway.

    "We told the LTTE that the road closure was a temporary measure and it was in no way connected to the humanitarian supplies issue raised by the Tigers," De Silva told the radio.

    The LTTE made the opening of the A9 highway between the northern Jaffna peninsula and the central town of Kandy as the main issue on the 2-day talks.

    Their position was that continued closure of the highway had denied civilian access to the peninsula and cut off humanitarian supplies such as food and medicine.

    The A9 highway came to be shut with the outbreak of hostilities in the Jaffna peninsula on Aug. 11.

    But De Silva said that government has effectively used the sea route available in sending essential supplies via ship from the capital Colombo and accused the Tigers of even targeting such vessels.

    De Silva said "the talks were not successful and we were not able to agree for further talks."

    The 2-day Geneva talks, the first direct talks between the warring parties for eight months came after an upsurge of violence that had accounted for more than 3,000 lives since the end of 2005.

    The international community urged the two sides to give up violence and sit down in order to further the Norwegian backed truce, which is very much in tatters.

    The two sides clashed with the agenda for talks -- the government insisting that the core political issues to the separatist armed conflict be looked at as opposed to the LTTE stance on the opening of the A9 highway and humanitarian supplies to the north.

    More than 64,000 people were killed in the island's armed ethnic conflict between the mid-1980s and February 2002 when the Norwegians brokered a ceasefire.

    Related:

     Sri Lankan warring parties end talks with no agreement

An explosives laden truck driven by a LTTE suicide squad member hit buses transporting Sri Lankan Navy sailors Monday. The death toll in the attack has risen to 99 with 116 others injured. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

    GENEVA, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels wrapped talks in Geneva on Sunday without agreeing on any measure to halt escalating violence in the South Asian island country.

    No agreement was reached between the parties on how to address the humanitarian crisis in the country, said a statement read by Norway's peace broker Erik Solheim after the two-day talks.  Full story>>

    Sri Lankan gov't, rebels open talks in Geneva

    GENEVA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) started direct talks in Geneva on Saturday amid international pressure to halt ethnic bloodshed.

    Representatives of both sides were holding their first formal meeting in eight months, with their Norway-arranged truce in tatters. Full Story

    Tight security in Sri Lankan capital ahead of talks

    COLOMBO, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan capital Colombo was placed under a tight security cover here Saturday ahead of direct talks between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the government in Geneva, Switzerland.

    Defense officials said that every vehicle entering the city was subjected to a thorough security check following information that the Tamil Tiger rebels may transport explosives into the city. Full Story

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