(21 Feb 2002)
1. Wide shot crowd of soldiers, International Red Cross (ICRC) officials and civilians on A9 Jaffna-Kandy highway that links government controlled territory with rebel-controlled areas
2. ICRC officials standing at white line dividing Sri Lankan government controlled area and Tamil Tiger controlled area
3. Wide shot people coming from rebel controlled area to government controlled area, crossing the white line
4. Tilt up from slips in official's hand to identification cards being checked
5. Wide shot family crossing over to government controlled area
6. Man saying "We like it", pan to wife holding child, saying "very nice" and smiling
7. ICRC officer talking on wireless to his counterpart in rebel controlled area
8. Wide shot people walking
9. SOUNDBITE (English) International Red Cross officer
"Well, ICRC basically passes messages between the parties, but also acts as intermediary as far as humanitarian matters are concerned, such as opening of new crossing points for civilians and lorry convoys, so this is a very important topic for the ICRC because civilians will strongly benefit from this."
10. Various of Sri Lankan army soldiers
11. Soldier checking civilians crossing over to government controlled areas
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Brigadier Ananda Alwis, Sri Lankan Army
"With this arrangement I think we are very quickly getting to normal life as what happened earlier so many years back."
13. Tilt up from firearm to Tamil Tiger rebel
14. Wide shot Tamil Tigers
15. Wide shot entry post for Tamil Tiger controlled area
16. SOUNDBITE (Tamil) Sutha Thangan, Tamil Tiger leader
"We want permanent peace. That's why we think these kinds of goodwill gestures will strengthen the atmosphere and will move towards the path of peace."
17. Various of women Tamil Tigers
18. Sign warning against land mines
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Ms. Thenral, Tamil Tiger leader
"We have removed the landmines of the A9 street - for the civilian facility, for the civilian transport - and there are more and more land mines laid apart from this A9 highway - for about two kilometres, so we have to remove these mines also."
20. Wide shot women Tamil Tigers
21. Young Tamil girl walking with mother to cross over to government controlled area
22. Wide shot A9 highway linking rebel areas to government areas
STORYLINE:
The Sri Lankan government has reopened the main highway connecting rebel-held areas in the north and east with the rest of the country.
For years, the island's north has only been accessible to civilians by air or sea.
The key highway linking Jaffna, the main town in the north, to the southern parts of the island, was closed in November 1999 when the military launched an offensive to dislodge Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels from small towns along the road.
That offensive was abandoned after the military failed to defeat the rebels, who took control of the towns after being driven out of Jaffna in 1995.
The opening of the highway is a major step on the road to peace after a ceasefire agreed by the government and the rebels came into effect on Christmas Eve last year.
Following the ceasefire the government also lifted sanctions on supply of goods to the rebel-held areas.
The step is also part of the confidence-building measures by both sides so peace talks can start to end the 18-year civil war that's left more than 64-thousand-500 people dead and 1.6 (m) million people - mostly Tamils - displaced.
Tamils, who make up 3.2 (m) million of Sri Lanka's 18.6 (m) million people, have been fighting for a separate homeland.
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