Norway condemns war in Sri Lanka

OSLO - Norway Tuesday condemned the war in Sri Lanka and said it was deeply concerned over the plight of civilians following the government offensive against the Tamil Tigers.

‘Norway condemns the ongoing warfare in Sri Lanka and the unacceptable suffering for civilians,’ Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a statement.

Store’s cabinet colleague and Environment and International Development Minister Erik Solheim said he was ‘very worried’ about the fate of the civilians trapped in areas where the fighting was raging in northeast Sri Lanka.

‘Everything must be done to prevent the suffering of the population. We receive messages that the number of civilian casualties is growing and that refugees are caught in the crossfire,’ Solheim added.

In 2002, Norway helped broker a ceasefire agreement between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The pact collapsed in 2006.

Earlier Tuesday, some 200 Tamils gathered outside the foreign ministry in Oslo calling for an end to the fighting.