Sri Lankan peace deal 'could be signed within days'

Officials in Sri Lanka have said a peace deal between the government and the Tamil Tiger rebels could be signed within two days, despite a sea battle today which left three sailors dead.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is expected to travel to the north of the country tomorrow for further peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), an ethnic Tamil rebel group which has been fighting for independence from the Sinhalese-dominated government for 19 years.