Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
U.N. council sees no need to punish Sri Lanka
Fri May 1, 2009 2:55am EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Louis Charbonneau and Ranga Sirilal
UNITED NATIONS/COLOMBO (Reuters) - U.N. Security Council members see no point withholding an IMF loan or taking other steps to punish Sri Lanka, the council's president said, the same day Sri Lanka's president rejected international calls for a ceasefire with rebels.
"I have not heard anyone suggesting that," Mexican Ambassador Claude Heller, president of the 15-nation council, told reporters on Thursday after an informal session on Sri Lanka.
Colombo has been under fresh pressure this week, from the European Union among others, to allow a truce so civilians trapped in the tiny area the Tamil Tigers still hold can escape.
Asked if all council members agreed penalties such as withholding the $1.9 billion loan were unnecessary, Heller said, "Absolutely."
U.S. officials said this week Washington was trying to delay the loan to pressure Sri Lanka to do more to help civilians caught in the fighting.
But Sri Lanka's central bank said there was no delay in its application for the loan and negotiations were in the final stages.
Sri Lanka looks to the loan to help weather the global economic crisis and pay for postwar reconstruction. News of the U.S. officials' comments hurt Colombo's financial markets before the central bank's statements restored confidence.
British Ambassador John Sawers said London agreed punishing Sri Lanka did not belong on the Security Council agenda.
"We're not in the job of penalizing the government of Sri Lanka," Sawers said. "We want to help the government of Sri Lanka to address this problem. I just wish that the government ... was more open to the offers of help that have been extended to it."
Earlier in the week British and French foreign ministers visited Sri Lanka and echoed a European Union call for a humanitarian ceasefire so civilians could escape the war zone.
But in a speech on Thursday in Sri Lanka before the Council session, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said: "We have at no time gone for a ceasefire. We will not do so now."
Colombo fears a ceasefire could allow the Tigers to regroup and re-arm, but says it is taking care not to target civilians in the rebel-held area of coastline the military puts at around 5 square kilometers (3 square miles).
TRAPPED
The United Nations estimates up to 50,000 civilians are trapped there. The government puts the figure far lower, and said this week it would not use heavy weapons against the Tigers, while concentrating on trying to free civilians using small arms.
"Rescue operations are going on. Troops are advancing into the 5 kilometer stretch," Sri Lanka military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said on Friday. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
UN council sees no need to punish Sri Lanka
Green Business
Reuters Green Business
Reuters introduces a new section dedicated to the emerging green technology sector, featuring five people to watch in the business of green and our global green portfolio. Full Coverage
More International News
Pakistan army pushes Taliban back
| Video
U.S. wants Cuba to act like slave: Fidel Castro
U.S. says terrorist violence soared in Pakistan
Watchdog gives World Bank mixed review on health
NATO expels 2 Russian envoys, raps pact on Georgia
More International News...
Related News
WITNESS: A fleeting glimpse of Sri Lanka's hidden war zone
2:55am EDT
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Mexico gets brighter picture of flu spread | Video
Swine flu source spawns wild theories | Video
Egypt starts pig slaughter, some farmers resist
World fights new flu virus with latest science
L.A. police arrest man linked to 30 rape-murders
First Mexico fatal flu victim sought help for days
Could Adam Lambert be first gay "American Idol"?
U.S. government staffer gave flu to family after Obama trip
Flu sharpens tone of U.S. immigration debate
Uncertainty spices up Hatton v Pacquiao clash
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Lease on life for Chrysler?
Dutch driver kills royal spectators
"Swinefighter" video game a Web hit
How ready are we?
Mexico shuts down to stem outbreak
Pakistan's wake up call
U.S. swine flu cases top 100
Chrysler bankrupt
A cruel month in Iraq
CDC: 109 swine flu cases in U.S
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Reuters Deals
The global destination for corporate leaders, deal-makers and innovators
Knowledge to Act
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.