James Bone in New York
The UN Security Council took up the fighting in Sri Lanka for the first time on Friday as a senior UN official reported that dozens of people, at least, were being killed every day. Council members, meeting in closed session, appealed to the Sri Lankan government to exercise maximum restraint and to the Tamil Tiger rebels, or LTTE, to lay down their arms and abandon the use of violence to pursue their political aims, the council president said.
Sir John Holmes, the UN's humanitarian coordinator, reported on his recent trip to the island under the agenda item "other matters" after Russia dropped its objections to the Security Council discussing the conflict between government forces and Tamil Tigers.
Sir John said 200,000 civilians were trapped by the fighting, and cited "credible reports" that the Tamil Tigers had shot at some trying to flee. He said he had urged the government to call a temporary halt to hostilities or establish a humanitarian corridor to allow people to leave, if it could be agreed.
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Sunday, March 1, 2009
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