Peace team arrives in Sri Lanka

Helgesen (L) with Wickremesinghe

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- A Norwegian peace delegation has arrived in Sri Lanka to try to broker renewed peace talks between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels.

The peace team is also pushing for an extension to the one-month ceasefire which began on Christmas Eve.

Hopes for peace, or at least the revival of talks between the government and the rebels, have increased after both sides agreed to participate in the month-long truce.

The government has also said it would ease sanctions on Tamil Tiger strongholds in Sri Lanka's north -- a key demand by the rebels for talks.

The Tigers, officially known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, have been fighting for almost 18 years for an independent state in the country. More than 60,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

The three-member Norwegian delegation is headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen.

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Previous peace efforts by the Scandinavian country have stalled, mainly because President Chandrika Kumaratunga's government has refused to accept ceasefire offers, instead choosing a military approach to try and end the conflict.

The peace team met on Thursday newly elected Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who swung into power on a peace mandate in December.

Kumaratunga - who will remain as the country's president until 2005 - will also have talks with the Norwegian delegation.

Her approval is necessary before any peace deals can be signed.

The Tamil Tigers are regarded as a terrorist group by the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Sri Lanka. They are also banned in India.