U.N. Council Sees No Need to Punish Sri Lanka

U.N. Security Councilmembers see no point withholding an IMF loan or taking other steps to punish Sri Lanka, the council's president said, as Colombo again rejected foreign calls for a ceasefire with rebels.  U.S. officials told Reuters this week that Washington was trying to delay the loan to pressure Sri Lanka to do more to help civilians caught in the fighting.