Air attack rules out any possibility of a ceasefire in the foreseeable future

Once the euphoria over the Harry Potter-like bombing adventure of the LTTE subsides the LTTE and its supporters will have to deal with the reality of the situation. With the air borne attack on the Air Force, the LTTE has proved how the organization has always exploited periodic cessation of hostilities during the 20+ years of conflict to advance their capabilities. Despite much opposition, the Sri Lankan government worked with the Norwegian mediators to bring about a negotiated settlement to the war only to have the LTTE walk out of talks and re-stock their armory. The air raid - despite its insignificant effect on the overall security situation - will most likely mean the government will align with the opponents of the ceasefire and continue military action against the Tigers without further dialog or cessations. A majority of the victims of such a prolonged conflict will no doubt be the civilians but with the recent developments in the worldwide anti-terrorism measures, it will be matter of time before the demand for military hardware to sustain and defend against the Sri Lankan forces will catch up with the rate of supply of arms to the LTTE and as they have done earlier, the LTTE will at that stage will desperately plead for a ceasefire. But this time - they will probably not get one.