* UN gravely concerned over civilians held by LTTE in Sri Lanka
Saturday, February 28, 2009, 2:43 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Feb 28, Colombo: Top United Nation officials held a closed meeting on Friday in New York to discuss the worsening humanitarian situation in the rebel controlled areas of Sri Lanka where thousands of civilians are being held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) without allowing them to flee the battle zone.

Addressing reporters following the closed-door meeting, President of the Security Council and Permanent Representative of Japan, Yukio Takasu, stressed that there is no official item on Sri Lanka and the informal discussion was held under 'other matters'.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes, who visited Sri Lanka, last week, briefed the Security Council on his findings from the visit and expressed grave concern over the plight of the civilians trapped in a small pocket of rebel-held land without food and humanitarian access.

Responding to the media afterwards, Holmes said the UN is concerned over the safety of the civilians caught in the crossfire. He said an estimated 200,000 civilians trapped in the no fire zone are increasingly vulnerable to disease and starvation.

The UN official urged the LTTE to lay down arms and enter into a political process to resolve the conflict and in the interim allow the civilians safe passage and allow the aid workers to deliver humanitarian assistance to the civilians. He also appealed to “those with any influence on the positions of the LTTE” to persuade the LTTE to let the civilians leave.

Commenting on the government established welfare centers for civilians in Vavuniya, Holmes said the physical condition of the camps is quite satisfactory although the facilities are over-crowded. He said the UN workers have full access to the camps and the people in the camps are treated reasonably well. The only concern the people have is the lack of freedom to move in and out of the camps, a concern which the UN official said they understand as the government is trying to prevent LTTE infiltrators.

Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom, Sir John Sawers said the conditions of the IDP camps are not concerning as once feared.

Permanent Representative of Japan while urging the government to exercise maximum restrain possible said the strong concern should be on the LTTE as they are not allowing the humanitarian assistance to reach the people or allowing the people safe passage. Ambassador Takasu urged the Tigers to lay down arms and enter into a political process.

He said only a military solution to the problem will not be enough and a political solution should be reached after the military successes so that the problem may not recur.

Responding to a question Ambassador Takasu said the Sri Lankan government has given assurance to resettle at least 80 percent of the IDPs in their original homes by the end of 2009 as soon as the liberated areas are cleared of mines. He said he believes the strongly contemplated government program makes sense.

Ambassador Takasu said that there was a convergence of views among members that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Mr. Holmes continue to be engaged on the Sri Lanka's issue.

Takasu added that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has requested $ 150 million over the next 12 months for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the North and appealed for support from member countries.