Miliband in Sri Lanka for peace talks

The British Foreign Secretary arrived in Sri Lanka today for talks aimed at convincing the country’s government to accept a temporary ceasefire in its war with the Tamil Tiger rebels.

David Miliband and French counterpart Bernard Kouchner will meet later with their Sri Lankan counterpart, Rohitha Bogollagama.

They were also to tour displacement camps overrun in recent days by more than 100,000 war refugees.

Sweden’s foreign minister said he had planned to go as well until Sri Lanka blocked his entry. Sri Lanka said it was a misunderstanding.

The UN says almost 6,500 civilians have been killed in recent fighting and estimated 50,000 remain trapped in the war zone.