NEW DELHI, Aug 8: Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando said here on Thursday that long-awaited talks with Tamil Tiger rebels would probably take place next month or soon afterwards.

“A date will be fixed for talks in Thailand which will most probably be in September or thereafter,” said Fernando, who was on a one-day visit to New Delhi to meet his Indian counterpart, Yashwant Sinha.

The government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have been observing a Norwegian-brokered ceasefire since February 23 aimed at ending decades of ethnic conflict.

Talks between the two sides were expected to take place in Thailand earlier in the summer.

Fernando denied there had been any postponement of the talks, saying dates had “never have been fixed to be postponed.”

Both sides first wanted to ensure that the ceasefire was being fully implemented, he said.

“We are in no hurry. Talks should be held when everybody is ready for them,” the minister told reporters.

“The great thing is that the ceasefire has held for eight months,” he added. “We are reaping the dividends of peace without a final settlement.”

Fernando said there had been some violations of the ceasefire by the LTTE, but despite these, everyone was “determined to stay on course.”

The LTTE has insisted that a Sri Lankan government ban on them be lifted before talks begin. Sri Lankan sources have said the ban will be lifted about 10 days before the two sides go to Thailand.

The peace process was revived after Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected in December with a promise to broker an end to the conflict that has claimed more than 60,000 lives in three decades.

The Tigers have been fighting for a homeland called “Eelam” for the island’s ethnic Tamil minority.

Fernando said, however, there would be no compromise on the question of a separate state for the Tamils.—AFP