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Formal ceasefire expected in Sri Lanka

A formal ceasefire between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels is expected to be announced later today.

South Asia correspondent Jonathan Harley reports:

"Diplomatic sources in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, have been quoted as saying Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, has agreed to a permanent ceasefire deal with the Tamil Tigers. Agreement was expected by the end of this week, but a heavy naval battle off Sri Lanka's northeastern coast raised fears that the deal might fall through at the 11th hour. The pact has been brokered by Norway and Oslo is expected to make a formal announcement later today, once it has signatures of both sides on its memorandum of understanding. It's the first bilateral truce in seven years and is seen as a first step towards what will no doubt be protracted peace talks, following two decades of civil war, claiming 60-thousand lives."

22/02/2002 13:23:11 | ABC Radio Australia News

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