Lanka bombs LTTE positions; ready for truce

Sri Lankan jets bombed positions of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the island's north on Monday where heavy fighting raged for the third straight day.

Military spokesman Prasad Samarsineghe told media persons that Sri Lankan war planes bombed a Tiger training centre near Iranamadu where the rebels maintain an airfield.

He said a Tiger military training facility was targeted, but had no details of casualties.

"The training base had caught fire and was burning for several hours," he said.

The spokesman said the troops lost seven of their men in ground battles along the Mannar and Vavuniya areas in the past three days. He did not give details of rebel losses.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government has said that it was willing to negotiate a fresh ceasefire with Tamil Tiger rebels as the truce arranged by peace-broker Norway was almost dead.

"There is no point in beating around the bush. The government is ready to re-look at it," Defence Ministry Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said when asked about the status of the truce agreement.

He said the ceasefire, which came into effect in February 2002, had been violated more than 10,000 times.

"It has been violated over 10,000 times by the Tigers. Yes, the ceasefire is there to make the international community happy, but you know the reality," he told media persons in Colombo.