There are claims of attacks on civilians by both sides

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout, who chaired EU foreign ministers talks, said the EU wanted alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws investigated

At a meeting in Brussels, EU foreign ministers are expected to call for those responsible to be brought to justice.

Thousands killed

UN and other international organisations claim thousands of people had died in the recent battles in the North of Sri Lanka

EU foreign ministers will urge both parties to respect their human rights obligations and call for an international inquiry into alleged war crimes.

Those accountable must be brought to justice, said an EU draft statement. It's a position backed by Britain's foreign secretary David Miliband.

	French and British foreign ministers in a recent visit to Sri Lanka

"There have been very grave allegations on all sides and the British position is always that whenever serious and credible allegations are made they should be properly investigated".

Call for political solution

British Minister also called for a lasting political solution for the conflict in Sri Lanka. "Secondly, there's obviously a crying need for an inclusive political settlement -- the tens of thousands of innocent Tamil civilians want to be Sri Lankan citizens of equal rights and equal value".

tens of thousands of innocent Tamil civilians want to be Sri Lankan citizens of equal rights and equal value British Foreign Secretary

European Union nations called Monday for an independent war crimes investigation into the killing of civilians in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan authorities have detained three doctors who had been working inside Tamil Tiger-held territory and had provided accounts from the war zone that contradicted the government.

Doctors detained

Meanwhile a UN Officials told the BBC, the doctors were stopped by the military as they tried to leave the area, and have now been handed to police.

In recent weeks the doctors, had treated wounded civilians and had given some of the only reports to emerge of the destruction inside the war zone.