At least 57 people have died in fighting in Sri Lanka in the past 24 hours - as Norway began efforts to broker a solution to the country's bitter ethnic conflict.

Norwegian Foreign Minister, Knut Vollebaek, ended a brief mission to Sri Lanka saying he was encouraged that both sides were willing to seek a political solution, and that he had agreed to continue his peace mission.

Speaking in a BBC interview after talks with Sri Lankan officials in Colombo, Mr Vollebaek said attempts to bring about mediation should go ahead despite continued fighting.

It is the first serious outside attempt at mediation for some years.

However, in a statement before his departure on Thursday, Mr Vollebaek warned that the process of bringing peace would take time and that it would be difficult.

"It will require courage and sacrifices and it will require the necessary political will from the parties," he said.

Earlier this week, he met a senior representative of the Tamil Tiger rebels in London, and then held prolonged talks in Sri Lanka with President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

He also met the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgama and the leader of the opposition United National Party (UNP), Ranil Wickremesinghe.

There is no direct contact between the government and the Tigers.

Fierce fighting

Defence officials said fighting on Wednesday saw the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) fire artillery and mortar bombs at the Elephant Pass army garrison.

They said government troops were forced to withdraw from seven bunkers, but recaptured them after four hours of fighting.

At least seven soldiers were killed and another 12 were seriously wounded, the officials said. Troops recovered the bodies of 14 Tiger rebels.

On Tuesday, the Tamil Tigers ambushed a military convoy in the east of the country, killing 13 security personnel and wounding 14 others.

The government also said it had killed 23 Tamil rebels on the eve of the Norwegian peace mission.

Defence spending

In another development the government has announced there will be no significant budget increase for the miltary.

The move comes despite reports that there would be a big boost to defence.

Instead the government has said the military and police would be used to take the peace process forward rather than initiating new activities.