U.N. council voices grave concern over Sri Lanka

By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council Wednesday for the first time voiced grave concern over civilian deaths in Sri Lanka's war and ordered the army and rebels to take urgent action to protect civilians.

"The members of the Security Council express grave concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in northeast Sri Lanka, in particular the reports of hundreds of civilian casualties in recent days," the unanimously agreed statement said.

The message to the Tamil Tiger rebels and government of Sri Lanka was agreed upon during a closed-door meeting of the 15-nation Security Council, its first formal consultations on the issue since the Sri Lankan war escalated sharply several months ago.

Shelling killed a Red Cross worker inside Sri Lanka's war zone Wednesday and hundreds of civilians were reported killed Sunday and Monday by artillery fire as troops attacked a narrow strip of land held by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels, who look set to lose a 25-year war.

Diplomats said the massive civilian deaths reported over the weekend were one of the factors that helped to convince Russia, China, Vietnam and Libya that it was necessary to have a formal meeting on the situation in Sri Lanka.

Although the council had held several informal meetings on the war, the four countries had opposed any formal council action on what they see as an internal Sri Lankan matter. While it is not legally binding, council diplomats said the unanimous statement would help to ratchet up the pressure on Sri Lanka.

In Washington U.S. President Barack Obama called for both sides to prevent a humanitarian disaster for the tens of thousands of people trapped in the war zone.

"Without urgent action this humanitarian crisis could turn into a catastrophe," Obama said at the White House.