Sri Lanka leader in peace gesture

Many fear Sri Lanka could slip back into war

Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga says she is willing and keen to restart the stalled peace talks with the Tamil Tiger rebels.

In a statement, she said her government would resume negotiations on an interim authority within a united state, as sought by the Tamil Tigers.

She has previously said negotiations could only begin on the basis of a permanent solution.

The statement came after the president met with Norway's top peace envoy.

Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen met Tamil Tiger leaders on Monday.

Uneasy truce

He said afterwards he had failed to make a breakthrough and feared for the future of Sri Lanka's peace process.

An uneasy truce agreed in February 2002 was shattered on 7 July by the first suicide bombing in Colombo in nearly three years, and almost daily killings in the island's east.

The position on an interim administration was the stumbling block that led to a breakdown in talks with the previous government.

Mrs Kumaratunga's coalition partner, the JVP, has previously rejected the idea of negotiations based around an interim authority.

Correspondents say the president's apparent shift in position may lead to a rift within the governing coalition, which holds a minority in parliament.