THE European Union has agreed to blacklist Tamil Tiger separatists as a terrorist group, despite warnings that this could lead to full-blown civil war in Sri Lanka. The move is likely to bring about the restriction of diplomatic contacts with EU governments, a bar on fundraising by the group, a freeze on its assets and the prevention of Tamil Tiger members from travelling to the EU.

The 25 member states unanimously agreed to the ban on Thursday night after Britain and other countries persuaded Sweden, Denmark and Finland to overcome their reservations. The Scandinavian countries were showing solidarity with Norway, which has acted as peace broker in Sri Lanka and strongly believes that proscribing the Tamil Tigers as terrorists will be counter-productive.

“There is now an agreement. The last reservations have been lifted,” one EU diplomat said.

The agreement in principle, which was cloaked in secrecy until now, will be formally adopted by EU ministers on May 29.

The Tamil Tigers, officially known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), are banned as a terrorist group in the US, Canada, India, the UK and Germany. The Europe-wide ban was agreed two days after a request by the US. “Washington’s request was a determining factor,” a diplomat said.

The separatist ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka has claimed more than 60,000 lives since 1972. More than 200 people have died since early last month as a peace agreement brokered in 2002 has all but collapsed.

Washington and EU member states hope that proscribing the LTTE — which pioneered the use of suicide bombings — will help to bring it to the negotiating table.

However, Ulf Henricsson, the retired Swedish MajorGeneral leading the Sri Lankan monitoring mission, said that it could backfire.

“I’m not sure the EU ban is coming at the right time,” he said. “Worst-case scenario might be that the LTTE thinks it is abandoned by everyone and there is no alternative to a full-scale guerrilla war. They target Colombo, tourist resources — investors leave, tourists leave, rich people leave.”

In Colombo, the capital, one of the LTTE’s top negotiators also gave a warning that the ban would lead to war.

Anton Balasingham said in a statement: “Emboldened by international support, and especially by further proscriptions of the LTTE, the Sinhala hardline elements will undoubtedly take steps further to escalate the violence and precipitate a war in which they hope to destroy the LTTE. If this happens, the LTTE will be compelled to resist.”

Times Recommends

• Should Knox’s trial even have reached the courtroom?
• 'Was it real?' The US bailout nightmare
• Iranian opposition plays the long game