As Sri Lanka seemed headed for full-scale hostilities, the government invited the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to negotiate a settlement to the conflict.
The government's peace secretariat coordinating the Norwegian-backed peace efforts said Colombo wanted the guerrillas to go back to negotiations even though Sri Lanka rejected their claim for a de facto separate state.
Howeve, the LTTE retorted by saying that it opposes monitors from European Union member states - Sweden, Denmark and Finland - after the EU banned the guerrillas as a terrorist organisation last month.
Caving in to the pressure and to keep the flailing peace process on track, the Lankan government has agreed to the LTTE's 'unreasonable demands'. However, it has stated that it will not be possible for these changes to be in place in a month, as demanded by the LTTE. Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of the nations will be meeting on June 29 to discuss their future contributions to the peace process.
The LTTE has also asked India to 'recognise our freedom struggle'.
Image: Sri Lanka Special Force unit soldiers patrol Jaffna on June 21.
Photograph: LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images