LTTE agreees to peace talks

The rebels said they will name their delegation in a few days, the group8217;s political wing leader S P Thamilselvan said.

8220;We will attend the talks out of respect for the international community,8217;8217; Thamilselvan told reporters in the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi after talks with Hanssen-Bauer.

8220;We are going for talks because of the international community and it is up to them to guarantee the safety of our delegation,8217;8217; Thamilselvan said.

There was no immediate word from the Norwegians, but the breakthrough came amid stepped up diplomatic pressure on both sides to enter talks this month and save a collapsing ceasefire.

Japan8217;s envoy Yasushi Akashi met with the Tigers yesterday after talks with President Mahinda

Rajapakse on reviving peace efforts.

US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher arrived here today to push the stalling process and held talks with Rajapakse.

Both the Tigers and the Sri Lankan government have said they were keen to resume negotiations which stalled after a meeting in Switzerland in February.

The Tigers who appeared to have suffered setbacks at the hands of the government forces turned the tables this month inflicting heavy losses on the security forces.

Meanwhile, three soldiers were killed in a mine blast and mortar attack blamed on the Tigers today. Two troops who were part of a foot patrol near the town of Vavuniya were killed by mines planed by the Tamil Tigers, a military spokesman was quoted as saying.

In a separate incident, a soldier was killed in a mortar attack launched by rebels on the army8217;s defence lines on the norther Jaffna Peninsula, prompting an exchange of artillery and mortar fire across the de facto border.

Police also defused a claymore mine in Kedawatha, a town about 15 kms from here. The bomb was discovered in a pile of garbage.

The violence came as foreign diplomatic missions in Colombo warned citizens that there could be a terrorist attack in the capital.

Australia led the warnings, asking its nationals to reconsider visiting the island.

The US embassy said there could be more attacks in Sri Lanka following a Tiger suicide attack on the southern port of Galle.

The rebels killed at least 115 people in a suicide bombing against a convoy of navy buses this week and attacked the southern naval port of Galle. Police eased a curfew in the port city today, but stepped up security amid fears of communal clashes.

Despite a truce in place since February 2002, both sides have blamed each other for spiralling violence that has claimed the lives of 2,300 people since December, according to an official count.