The European Union’s heads of missions based in Colombo, in a joint statement issued yesterday, said that they had been closely watching the recent significant military developments in the North and that it was important that those developments be transformed to pave the way towards a sustainable and equitable peace.

They said: "EU heads of missions therefore call upon all parties to work vigorously towards a political solution which addresses the legitimate concerns of all communities in Sri Lanka. Only this will provide a foundation on which the people of Sri Lanka can live in peace and prosperity". The EU heads of missions also call upon the Government and other parties to minimize the impact of the conflict on the civilian population and civil society, in particularly by ensuring that civil society is able to operate without impediment. In particular, EU heads of mission strongly condemn the repeated attacks on and intimidation of the media that had occurred over recent months, including the armed attack on the MTV TV station and the brutal assassination of the Sunday Leader’s Chief Editor, and urge the Sri Lankan authorities to take all necessary steps to bring the perpetrators to justice."