Sri Lanka's government Friday rejected a call by separatist Tamil Tiger rebels to revive a 2002 cease-fire, a week after Colombo officially withdrew from the truce, according to AP. Keheliya Rambukwella, a minister and the government's defense spokesman, claimed the rebels had used the cease-fire to strengthen themselves militarily and «to continue their terrorist activities.» «Considering the ground realities, it (the rebels' offer) looks hilarious,» said Rambukwella. His comments came a day after the rebels' political-wing chief B. Nadesan said the Tigers were «ready to implement every clause» of the Norway-brokered truce and respect it «100 percent.» «We are shocked and disappointed that the government of Sri Lanka has unilaterally abrogated the cease-fire agreement signed in 2002,» Nadesan said in a statement, the first public reaction to the government's decision.
