Sri Lanka Offers to Resume Talks With Tamil Rebels
The government said Thursday that it was willing to resume peace talks if Tamil rebels came up with a “substantial proposal” to end Sri Lanka’s 17-year-old civil war.
The offer came as the government continued a major offensive to retake Elephant Pass, which links Jaffna peninsula in the north with the rest of the island nation. The military said it captured a rebel armory after killing six guards Thursday.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have been fighting since 1983 to create a homeland in the north and east. The rebels declared a monthlong cease-fire Dec. 24, calling it a goodwill gesture to help a Norwegian-brokered peace initiative, but the government declined to reciprocate.
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