A. whereas internal conflict has taken place in Sri Lanka for over 17 years, resulting in the deaths of some 60 000 people, with about one million internally displaced and some 600 000 who have fled the country,

B. whereas over the years the so-called Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have carried out indiscriminate acts of terrorism throughout Sri Lanka, claiming many hundreds of civilian lives,

C. whereas, through their attacks on over 20 leading democratic politicians from both the Sinhala and Tamil communities, including the candidate Gamini Dissanayake, and, in the last few months, the serious injury of President Kumaratunga and the attempted murder of Assistant Defence Minister Ratwatte, the LTTE has deliberately sought to undermine and destabilise the democratic political structure in Sri Lanka,

D. whereas government forces have suffered serious reverses in the north of Sri Lanka in recent days, with the likelihood that fighting will intensify and the lives of some 500 000 people in the immediate area of Jaffna will be put at risk and the democratic political system in Sri Lanka as a whole placed in jeopardy,

E. whereas the imposition of new emergency regulations in Sri Lanka is prejudicial to the functioning of the democratic process and the critical scrutiny of the conduct of operations and whereas parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place before the end of this year,

F. whereas the European Parliament is unequivocal in its condemnation of terrorism and its support for democratically elected government,

G. having regard to the action of the United States' Government in declaring the LTTE to be a terrorist organisation, with legal consequences for those supporting it,

H. aware that the government of Sri Lanka has offered to open talks with the LTTE,

I. having regard to the recent letter of the EU Presidency addressed to President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Ranil Wickremesinghe, leader of the biggest opposition party UNP, in a plea for a negotiated solution to the conflict,

1. Expresses its deep concern at the current situation in Sri Lanka and calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities on a basis agreed by all parties;

2. Urges the LTTE to accept the offer by the government of Sri Lanka to open talks in order to reach a political settlement that is in the interests of all citizens of Sri Lanka;

3. Calls for the emergency regulations to be lifted as soon as possible, and in any case well ahead of elections, which must be held before the end of the year;

4. Calls on the parliamentary opposition, especially the UNP, and the government, to expedite discussions to arrive at a bi-partisan consensus urgently needed in order to strengthen the government's negotiating position for a peaceful, political solution to the conflict;

5. Urges the governments of the Member States of the EU to take steps to proscribe organisations operating on their territory which continue to provide financial and other support to terrorist actions in Sri Lanka, and in so doing, to relieve the intimidation by the LTTE of Tamil people living in third countries;

6. Calls on the Council of the European Union and the Commission to address the situation as a matter of urgency and to make available in timely manner whatever humanitarian and other support may be requested to assist the people in the Jaffna peninsula, and, in due course, to assist post-conflict reconstruction;

7. Welcomes the efforts of the Norwegian Government and the Indian Government, to bring about an acceptable, peaceful political solution and urges the Commonwealth to use its good offices in order to assist the process of urgent and high-level mediation;

8. Calls on those Member States of the European Union that are members of the UN Security Council to bring the situation before the UN as a matter of urgency;

9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the Secretary General of the United Nations, the Secretary General of the Commonwealth and the Government of Sri Lanka.