Lanka: Violence escalates before talks

The Sri Lankan military on Wednesday launched a three-pronged attack against Tamil Tiger guerrillas in the island's northern Jaffna peninsula, the rebels have said.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam said the move comes a day after they told peace broker Norway of their willingness to resume peace talks in Switzerland.

'Intense clashes are going on,' the LTTE said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, the Norwegian peace brokers asked both the government and the LTTE to halt hostilities ahead of peace talks scheduled for October 28 and 29 in Switzerland.

The LTTE warned that any new offensive against them will make them reconsider their decision to attend peace talks. There was no immediate word from the military about the LTTE statement, but the rebels during the weekend had warned that the military was preparing for an all out offensive against them along the de facto frontline in Jaffna.

Norway's top peace broker Erik Solheim, in a statement, had welcomed the decision by the LTTE to agree to start two-day talks on October 28 at a venue in Switzerland and end an eight-month deadlock in negotiations.

'The expressed willingness of the parties to meet for direct talks is most welcome,' Solheim said.

'They are taking a small but important step towards continuing the peace process although the situation on the ground remains difficult.'

The LTTE said on Tuesday that they were entering talks although they had little confidence that the government will deliver on promises made to restore normality.

'It is crucial that the government and the LTTE now use this opportunity to cease hostilities,' Solheim said.