My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (David Miliband) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

I would like to update the House on the latest developments in the conflict between the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and the actions we have been taking since my last Written Ministerial Statement of 2 April.

The UN estimates that tens of thousands of civilians remain caught in the conflict area in north-eastern Sri Lanka. This now measures less than 18 square kilometres. The protests and demonstrations by Tamil communities around the world have highlighted their concerns for the civilians in the conflict area. They have seen friends and relatives perish, and their loved ones are still at grave risk from the fighting.

The fate of the civilians in the conflict area is our most pressing concern. It is vital that they are able to move away from danger to safety; that they are able to move under UN oversight; and that the camps of internally displaced persons meet international standards. We have been pressing consistently for this to happen. We have also been calling for unhindered access by humanitarian agencies to those in the conflict area so that they can deliver sufficient assistance to those in need.

I welcomed the announcement of a pause in the fighting by President Rajapakse on 12 April, but I was concerned that the pause should be long enough to give civilians sufficient time to leave the conflict area. I spoke to Foreign Minister Bogollogama on 13 April to urge him to extend the pause beyond the stated 48 hours. In the event there was no extension. Less than 300 civilians were able to move to safety and there were credible reports that the LTTE prevented those who wanted to leave from doing so. I was deeply concerned that fighting resumed after the pause.

On 15 April I discussed the situation with the French Foreign Minister Kouchner. We subsequently issued a joint statement calling for a new and longer pause and for the LTTE to let civilians leave.

There are now reports that on 20 April the Sri Lankan Army breached the LTTE’s groundwork defences. While I welcome the reports that significant numbers of civilians may have escaped from the conflict area, I am deeply concerned at reports that civilians were killed in the operation and that others remain at threat from the fighting. We condemn the killings of civilians in the strongest possible terms and urge all parties to take all necessary action to avoid further civilian casualties. Both the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE must abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of civilians at all times. We have also been very clear with the Sri Lankan Government that democratically elected Governments are rightly held to higher account for their actions than terrorist organisations.

It was our concern for civilians that first led my right honourable friend the Prime Minister to call for a ceasefire on 14 January. He has written to President Rajapakse, most recently on 8 April, to make clear our concerns. He also spoke to the President on 20 April when he called for a new, extended pause. I have repeated the call for a ceasefire in direct contacts with the Sri Lankan Government, including President Rajapakse and Foreign Minister Bogollogama, in public statements and in concert with other partners, including the US and France. We will continue to discuss this with partners in the EU, the Commonwealth and the UN. I will speak with Indian Foreign Minister Mukherjee today.

If the reports of the latest exodus of civilians prove to be accurate, thousands will have managed to leave the conflict area since January. Many of them will have been displaced numerous times over the past 18 months, each time the frontline has moved. It is vital that these internally displaced persons (IDPs) are treated in accordance with international humanitarian law. We have been urging the Sri Lankan Government to give international agencies, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, full visibility of the reception arrangements for civilians when they leave the conflict area. We are also pressing the Government to ensure that civilians are free to move in and out of the camps and that the camps are demilitarised in line with the Guiding Principles for IDPs in order that agencies can be fully involved in the running of the IDP camps, which should be temporary in nature. We will continue to urge the Sri Lankan Government to abide by their commitment to enable 80 per cent of IDPs to return to their homes by the end of the year. Within the camps there needs to be better access to medical facilities and transparent registration processes. It is important everyone has full confidence that IDPs are treated fully in accordance with international norms.

As part of our response to the humanitarian crisis we have been working closely with the UN. We have welcomed the personal engagement by the Secretary-General and his statements expressing his concern for civilians affected by the fighting. I discussed the conflict with Ban Ki-Moon last week and underlined the UK’s support for the UN’s involvement in responding to the humanitarian crisis. We have welcomed the separate visits to Sri Lanka by the Under-Secretary-General, John Holmes, the UN’s Representative for IDPs, Walter Kaelin, and, most recently, the Secretary-General’s Chef de Cabinet, Vijay Nambiar, so that they could see for themselves the conditions on the ground. We have encouraged—in the face of some opposition from others—the briefings given by John Holmes to the Security Council. And we are pushing for further briefings to the council. This involvement by the UN means that the Government of Sri Lanka can be in no doubt about the concerns felt by the international community over the humanitarian situation.

My right honourable friend the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Sri Lanka, my right honourable friend the Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun (Des Browne), was at the UN on Monday. He discussed the situation in Sri Lanka with senior UN officials, representatives of other members of the Security Council and non-governmental organisations with a presence on the ground in Sri Lanka. My right honourable friend the Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun made clear that we support the work the UN has been doing to try to arrange a UN-assisted civilian evacuation from the conflict area. He also stressed the need to improve conditions for IDPs once they leave the conflict area. In his discussions with other Permanent Representatives it was clear that some permanent members of the Security Council continue to oppose further action within the council.

The Department for International Development continues to offer practical support to those agencies on the ground responding to the humanitarian crisis. It has so far allocated £5 million, the majority of which is being used to support the work of the agencies providing protection and assistance work for the IDPs. Some money is being kept in reserve so that we can continue to respond immediately to further needs as they arise. The department will continue to follow the humanitarian situation and the needs of IDPs closely.

The overriding need is for an immediate end to the tragic humanitarian crisis. We want to see an urgent end to this conflict, now in its 26th year, which has cost well over 70,000 lives. We have always been very clear that there can be no military solution. Lasting peace in Sri Lanka can only come about through a fully inclusive political process that takes into account the legitimate aspirations of all Sri Lanka’s communities—Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. The Sri Lankan Government must make a concerted drive to achieve a political solution. The Government will continue to press for urgent progress in all of these areas.