Monitors in talks with Tigers to save truce

The head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Trond Furuhovde, flew to the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi for discussions with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), government officials said.

Diplomatic sources said the SLMM was deeply concerned with the Tiger withdrawal on the eve of fresh attempts by peace broker Norway to get the stalled negotiations back on track.

Norway's special peace envoy, Erik Solheim, was due in Colombo later Monday to launch a renewed attempt to jumpstart negotiations that have been on hold since April last year, diplomats said.

The LTTE told the SLMM Friday it would no longer attend meetings with security forces to review the ceasefire in a protest over suspected military backing for a renegade regional commander of the LTTE known as Karuna.

The meetings are aimed to iron out problems relating to the implementation of the Norwegian-brokered ceasefire, in place since February 2002.

The government admitted Thursday that elements of the military had supported Karuna despite LTTE warnings.