Friday, August 11 2006 16:23 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Colombo: The United States today (Aug 11, 2006) called upon the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers to return to the path of negotiations to put an end to the unending ethnic conflict.

"The events of the past weeks demonstrate again that there can be no military solution to the conflict that continues to divide Sri Lankans," the US embassy said in a statement here.

"The people of Sri Lanka need and deserve peace. The US is deeply concerned by the dislocation of tens of thousands of innocent civilians and the killing of NGO personnel in the northeast (following recent clashes)," he said.

The US urged the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to return to political negotiations and to renounce terrorism.

"At the same time, we look to the government of Sri Lanka to address the legitimate grievances of Tamil-speaking people and to respond to incidents of violence against civilians with prompt, independent investigations," he said.

"Without political commitment and a spirit of compromise between both parties, there will be no end to the conflict. There is no other way forward than through a return to negotiations," he said.