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Sunday, May 21, 2006 » Lankan Peace in Peril » EU parliament seeks to freeze LTTE assets http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1701780,001302310000.htm PK Balachandran Colombo, May 19, 2006 The European Parliament on Thursday unanimously called for the freezing of any assets that the LTTE might be holding in member countries. A resolution passed at the plenary session held in Strasbourg, called upon the European Commission and the 25 Member States, to follow the example of other countries and freeze the assets of LTTE-associated bank accounts, holdings, companies and other undertakings. The resolution recognized that the EU was "actively considering" the formal listing of the LTTE as a terrorist organization. It asked the LTTE to go in for talks with the Sri Lankan government on a final political settlement and "be prepared to decommission weapons." Dealing a political body blow, the resolution said that the European parliament did not recognize that the LTTE was the "sole representative" of the Sri Lankan Tamils. The EU parliament deplored the "gross" violations of the ceasefire agreement by the LTTE through actions at sea, in particular the attack of May 11 on the Sri Lankan Navy, which resulted in many casualties and which put the Scandinavian truce monitors "in grave danger." Calling attention to the recruitment of children by the LTTE, the resolution said, "Parliament condemns the appalling abuse of children through the recruitment of child soldiers, which is a war crime, and calls on all rebel groups and notably the LTTE to stop this practice, to release those it holds and to make a declaration of principle not to recruit any children in the future." © HT Media Ltd. 2006.
