COLOMBO, May 9: Sri Lanka's ruling party on Sunday changed its stance and granted a key demand of the Tamil Tigers by recognising the rebels as the sole representatives of the island's Tamil minority.

Before narrowly winning April 2 elections, the Marxist-backed government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga had denounced the previous administration for its "exclusive" negotiation with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Kumaratunga had vowed to engage in "inclusive talks" with both the LTTE and other parties. But the latest statement by her party's secretary, Susil Premajayantha, said there would be no change from the format adopted by the previous government.

"Taking into account political and ground realities concerning the conduct of the negotiations, it is clear that the two principal parties at the negotiation table can only be the government and the LTTE," Premajayantha said.

The Tigers have been waging a drawn-out campaign for a separate Tamil homeland. The conflict has claimed more than 60,000 lives since 1972. The new government had already performed a U-turn by inviting peace broker Norway to help revive talks suspended since April last year.

Earlier, Kumaratunga's Freedom Alliance had wanted to thoroughly review Norway's role. The Marxist People's Liberation Front or JVP, a critical partner in the alliance, had sought a complete withdrawal of Norway from the peace process. -AFP