UN appeals for aid access in Lanka

"We call on the Sri Lankan government and the rebel Tamil Tigers to urgently allow access for humanitarian aid workers so vital supplies can reach those in need, and to permit freedom of movement to all affected populations," said UNHCR spokeswoman Jennifer Pagonis.

"We and our partners are now seriously concerned about the welfare of civilians in areas inaccessible to humanitarian agencies because of strictly enforced travel restrictions," she added.

The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said the key access road to the Jaffna peninsula through a rebel-held district was closed.

Food and water supplies had fallen to "alarmingly low levels" in many areas, it added.

Thousands of displaced families in eastern areas in Trincomalee and Batticaloa also face "a similar crisis".

Help for about 15,000 to 20,000 people displaced in Kilonchchi district is also disrupted, the UNHCR said.

Earlier the European Union expressed concern on Thursday about the renewed violence in Sri Lanka and urged the government and the Tamil Tiger rebels to stop fighting at once and resume peace talks.

"The senseless violence will not resolve the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka," EU President Finland said in a statement, adding that it was deeply concerned about the growing humanitarian crisis in the country.

"The presidency urges the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to cease hostilities at once and to resume peace talks," Finland said.

It reiterated its full support for the peace process and the work of the Norwegian facilitator and called on both parties to guarantee free access for relief agencies to those affected by the violence.

Sri Lanka has seen three weeks of fierce fighting that many regard as a new chapter in a two-decade civil war halted by a 2002 ceasefire. International truce monitors say they believe hundreds of civilians have been killed in the renewed violence.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are fighting for a separate homeland for minority Tamils.