Fresh fighting in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan troops came under heavy artillery fire

There has been a heavy outburst of fighting between Sri Lankan government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels east of Jaffna Town.

The latest fighting in the north came after a lull in the past few days, which the Tigers said was to allow civilians to move to safer areas.

Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar said on Tuesday that the army had turned the corner in the battle and would continue to fight to defend Jaffna.

He also said Israel, among other countries, would be providing military equipment to help fight the Tigers.

Attack

At least 46 fighters - 40 rebels and six government soldiers - were reported dead in the latest fighting.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fired a barrage of artillery and mortar fire, forcing the troops to pull back their defences in the Tanankilappu area, government sources said.

Lakshman Kadirgamar: Israel providing military assistance

The military situation had been quiet since last Friday - after Tamil Tiger positions were subdued by a series of air raids.

Tamil Tiger radio said a new offensive had begun and called on civilians to move out of the city.

Aid agencies said on Monday that four civilians in Jaffna had been killed by mortar fire - which government sources blamed on the Tigers.

Details from the region are sketchy because of a ban on the presence of journalists, and government censorship on media reports.

'Army resisting'

Mr Kadirgamar said the army was stiffening its resistance to the Tigers.

Even in the heat of battle... we are still prepared for talks

Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar

He acknowledged that the situation was grave, but said there was no question of handing over the Jaffna peninsula to the rebels.

He said the government was still open to peace talks but the fighting had made such moves difficult.

"The LTTE is not showing the slightest degree of interest in talks," he said.

"As far as the government of Sri Lanka is concerned, we have made it clear over and over again, even in the heat of battle... we are still prepared for talks."

Mr Kadirgamar also said the government had been purchasing military hardware, particularly from countries who could provide it without delay.

He confirmed they would be getting military assistance from Israel, and said this might involve bringing in Israeli technical experts to help operate equipment in a purely non-combat role.

Assassination

Earlier on Tuesday, military officers said unidentified gunmen shot and killed a Tamil member of Jaffna City Council.

The death of Santhanam Kandeepan was the first political assassination since Tamil rebels intensified their offensive last month to recapture their former capital.

Mr Kandeepan, 30, belonged to the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EDPD), a former rebel group that joined the political mainstream after renouncing violence and the demand for a separate homeland for the Tamil minority.

The LTTE began its lightning advance on Jaffna on 21 April after overrunning the key Elephant Pass causeway linking the northern peninsula with the rest of the country.

The rebels say they are on the edges of Jaffna, the centre of Tamil culture, which the army captured in 1995 after it had been under LTTE control for five years.