COLOMBO: Sri Lankan ethnic Tamil leaders have called for an international war crimes inquiry into events during the final stages of the country's civil war, criticizing a commission report that cleared government forces of deliberately targeting civilians.

Lawmakers in the Tamil National Alliance said Monday the report by the government-appointed Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission was a "serious assault" on the dignity of war victims.

The commission said last week that a few isolated violations by troops needed to be investigated further. But it accused the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels of routinely violating international humanitarian law.

A U.N. panel reported earlier this year that it found credible allegations of serious abuses by both sides. AGENCIES