Envoys meet Sri Lanka president

Norway has made several attempts to revive peace negotiations

Norwegian envoys have met Sri Lanka's president in an effort to jump-start peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels.

No details have so far emerged of discussions between the envoys, Erik Solheim and Jon Hannsen-Bauer, and President Mahinda Rajapakse.

The meeting comes amid growing international concern that the island is drifting back into civil war.

Later in the day, Mr Solheim is scheduled to fly to India to brief officials there.

Attempts by Norway to revive peace negotiations, which stalled three years ago following a truce in 2002, have so far been unsuccessful.

The envoys' latest effort comes amid escalating violence in northern and eastern Sri Lanka.

More than 200 people have died in violence over the past month.

Attacks

On Thursday, the Sri Lankan army said that four members of the police were killed in a claymore mine attack in the eastern district of Batticaloa.

Three soldiers were reported injured in another mine attack in the northern town of Vavuniya.

On Monday, a senior Tamil Tiger rebel commander was shot dead in the eastern district of Batticaloa.

It is not clear who carried out the killing - one report quoted a spokesman for a breakaway rebel faction as saying it had killed the man, but a pro-rebel website accused army snipers.

Sri Lanka has been rocked by conflict since the Tigers launched their campaign for a separate state in 1983. Some 60,000 people have died.

A truce between the government and rebels was signed four years ago, but there have been increasing ceasefire violations in recent months.