Tamil Tiger rebels fighting for a separate state in Sri Lanka declared a month-long ceasefire today, two weeks after the election of a new government that pledged to open peace talks with the guerrillas.
The ceasefire also comes one year after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) declared a similar truce that lasted for four months before a Norwegian-brokered peace effort broke down.
"We fervently hope that the new government of Sri Lanka will reciprocate positively to our goodwill gesture and instruct its armed forces to observe peace during this period", the LTTE said in a statement.