Indicating that the US would not let the innocent civilians reportedly being killed in the ongoing war between Sri Lankan forces and LTTE, U.S. President Barack Obama has asked Colombo to "seek a peace that is secure and lasting". "Sri Lanka must seek a peace that is secure and lasting, and grounded in respect for all of its citizens," Mr. Obama said reading out from a prepared statement on the White House lawns minutes before he left for Arizona on Wednesday afternoon. This is for the first time that Mr. Obama has directly addressed the media on the issue of Sri Lanka, indicating that the humanitarian crisis in the island nation has suddenly caught the attention of his administration. "Firstly, the government should stop the indiscriminate shelling that has taken hundreds of innocent lives, including (in) several hospitals. The government should live up to its commitment not to use heavy weapons in the conflict zone," Mr. Obama said. "More civilian casualties and inadequate care for those caught in resettlement camps will only make it more difficult to achieve the peace that the people of Sri Lanka deserve," he added. "Secondly, the government should give United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross access to nearly 190,000 displaced people within Sri Lanka so that they can receive the immediate assistance necessary to save their lives," Mr. Obama said. However, he did not take any question in his brief read out in which he said with all the big issues going on, Sri Lanka hasn't received much attention, it deserves. "We have a humanitarian crisis that's taking place in Sri Lanka. And I've been increasingly saddened by the desperate news in recent days," Mr. Obama said. Tens of thousands of innocent civilians are trapped, between the warring government forces and the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, with no means of escape, little access to food, water, shelter and medicine, he said. "Now is the time, I believe, to put aside some of the political issues that are involved and to put the lives of the men and women and children, who are innocently caught in the crossfire to put them first," the President said. Mr. Obama also urged the Tamil Tigers to lay down their arms and let civilians go. "Their forced recruitment of civilians and their use of civilians as human shields is deplorable. These tactics will only serve to alienate all those who carry them out," the US President said. The Obama Administration in past few months has been calling for devolution of power in Sri Lanka and urging Colombo to come out with a political settlement. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton herself made a telephone call to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa last month expressing her concern over the current humanitarian situation in the country.