Lanka to resume peace talks next month

A top official from President Chandrika Kumaratunga's office visited the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi Saturday amid signs the peace process was being re-activated, the Sunday Observer said.

"There are positive signs that the government - LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) peace talks would recommence in early November," the paper said.

The report came a day after Tiger rebels freed two paramilitary policemen they had been holding since August.

Military officials said the Tigers released the two men in the northeastern district of Trincomalee Saturday, a day after a Sri Lankan court granted bail to 10 Tiger rebels who had been in remand custody for illegally carrying weapons.

There was no immediate reaction to the press report from the guerrillas who have insisted that a resumption of the negotiations which were suspended in April last year must be based on their proposal for self-rule.

However, government spokesman Mangala Samaraweera said last week that a set of fresh proposals had already been finalised to restart negotiations with the Tigers.

Samaraweera told reporters: "The proposals will be given to the Tigers when they are ready to look at them."

He said the cabinet was "baffled" at the Tiger's reluctance to re-open talks with the new government which came to power in April after the president sacked the previous administration for allegedly conceding too much to the rebels.