Sri Lanka's Tigers pull out of peace talks

The Tamil Tigers said yesterday they were pulling out of peace talks with the Sri Lankan government as two blasts killed seven servicemen, fuelling fears of renewed civil war on the island.

The Tigers said their withdrawal from talks in Geneva aimed at saving a faltering 2002 ceasefire was due to problems with a requested safe-conduct transport of rebel commanders.

The Tigers were concerned about Sri Lankan navy plans to monitor a boat that was to have taken the commanders based in the east and their Nordic escorts yesterday to the Tigers' northern base, the head of the Tiger peace secretariat said.

"It is very important we meet our commanders," S. Puleedevan told Reuters. "We have cancelled the transport. If we cannot meet them, Geneva is off."

The army accused the rebels of then carrying out two attacks with claymore fragmentation mines that killed seven servicemen and wounded several in the Tamil-dominated north and east.

The rebels accused the military for an attack in their territory they say killed one rebel and one rebel civilian supporter. Each denies the other's accusations, but diplomats are more inclined to believe the government.

Swedish Major-General Ulf Henricsson, head of the unarmed Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission tasked with monitoring the truce, said the Tigers had initially agreed to allow the navy to monitor the rebel vessel from a distance.

"I'm worried about the situation for Sri Lankan people of all ethnic groups," Henricsson told Reuters outside the monitoring mission's eastern Batticaloa office shortly after hearing the Tigers no longer wanted the transport.

"Those in positions of responsibility on either side are not acting in the interests of their people."