Sri Lanka combatants willing to return to peace talks

THE Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels have told Norwegian mediators they are willing to return to peace talks without conditions.

“We rejoice at the announcement conveyed by both the government and LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) to our Norwegian facilitator, that they are willing to come to talks without any conditions,” Japanese peace envoy Yasushi Akashi told a news briefing in Brussels.

The Tigers pulled out of peace talks indefinitely, in April, and a new bout of fighting erupted in late July, killing hundreds of troops, civilians and rebels in the worst violence since a 2002 ceasefire.