London: UK and France on Thursday asked Sri Lanka to offer another truce to the LTTE to enable Tamil civilians to make a safe exit from the rebel held areas, even as the European nations blamed the Tigers for "forcefully preventing" people from leaving the conflict zone.
"It is clear that the LTTE has been forcefully preventing civilians from leaving the conflict area and we deplore their determination to use civilians as a human shield," said a joint statement issued by the British and French ministers on the Sri Lankan situation.
Both the countries have asked Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to offer another truce to the LTTE so that the trapped Tamil civilians could make a safe exit from the conflict zone.
"We urge President Rajapakse to announce a new pause . Democratic governments are rightly held to higher standards for civilian protection than terrorist organisations. We also urge the LTTE to allow civilians to move to safety," it said.
They also asked the LTTE to lay down arms while stating that the outfit has been preventing civilians from leaving the conflict zone.
"We do of course continue to call on the LTTE to renounce terrorism and lay down their arms as a necessary element for a long-term solution," British Foreign Secretary
David Miliband and his French counterpart Bernanrd Kouchner said on Thursday.