Britain: 'World's eyes on Sri Lanka'

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Britain has exhorted the Sri Lankan government to push for peace, as violence threatened to worsen in the government's campaign against terror.

The British government's warning Friday followed Sri Lankan Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickramanayaka's announcement that the country's armed forces had a free hand to carry out efforts to wipe out terrorism without interference from politicians.

The prime minister said Thursday evening the government had "given full freedom to the armed forces to conduct the war," Lanka Page reported.

"Let the armed forces heads to handle the war, as politicians were not experts in that field," he said.

But the British government told Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse "the world is watching and waiting" for the island nation to take steps toward peace, The Times of India reported.

The Sri Lankan government formally ended its 2002 cease-fire with the Tamil Tigers rebel group this week, triggering an eruption of violence that has left dozens dead.

British Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells called for a new cease-fire. Howells said the president's refusal to bring Tamil representatives into the All Party Representative Committee was "a big mistake."