Breaking their silence on the Sri Lankan government’s decision to scrap a six-year-old ceasefire agreement, the Tamil Tiger rebels on Thursday said the truce should continue and that they were willing to “implement every clause” of the Norwegian-brokered pact.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) also demanded lifting of the ban imposed on it by several countries, which it alleged was due to “false propaganda” of the Sri Lankan government. India, the US and EU have proscribed the outfit.

“The government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), without any justification, has now unilaterally withdrawn from the CFA (ceasefire agreement). The LTTE wishes to state that even at this juncture, it is ready to implement every clause of the CFA agreement and respect it 100 per cent,” LTTE political head B Nadesan said in a statement. adesan issued the statement during his meeting with the Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Major General Lars Johan Solvberg in the rebel-held Kilinochchi in the northern part of the island nation.

He blamed the collapse of the CFA on the “non-compliance” of the government on opening of one highway for the people of Jaffna. The LTTE did not take any decision to withdraw from the CFA “even when the government assassinated the leader of the LTTE peace delegation, S P Thamilchelvan, in November 2007,” Nadesan said.
Despite this, “respecting the wishes” of Norway and the international community, the LTTE took part in two direct talks with the government in Geneva in 2006, he said.