COLOMBO, May 2: Sri Lanka's peace broker Norway warned on Sunday that it would take time to revive stalled negotiations, but urged government forces and Tamil Tigers to maintain an Oslo-brokered truce in the meantime.

Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen, who held talks with Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Sunday, said there could be delays in getting the antagonists back to the table.

"It might take some time before the parties are in a position to return to the negotiation table," Helgesen said in a statement. "In the meantime it is important for both sides to respect and abide by the cease-fire agreement and to work closely with the truce monitors."

Kumaratunga had asked the Norwegians to return to the island after her allies narrowly won April 2 elections. Her coalition includes hardliners opposed to concessions to the Tigers to resolve the three-decade ethnic conflict which has claimed more than 60,000 lives.

Helgesen said his closed-door discussions with the president were "extensive and constructive." Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar also joined the talks which included another Norwegian envoy, Erik Solheim, at the central hill resort of Nuwara Eliya, 180 kilometres east of Colombo.

"The president and Mr Helgesen had initial consultations on all aspects of the peace process," a Norwegian embassy statement said. "The Norwegian delegation will continue the consultations with the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) on Monday to explore possibilities of recommencing direct peace negotiations between the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE."

Helgesen also had informal talks with former premier Ranil Wickremesinghe, a key figure in the peace initiative of the previous government, officials said. Helgesen was due to leave later Sunday for a previously arranged visit to Indonesia. Solheim will travel to the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi Monday and was expected to have formal talks with Wickremesinghe in Colombo on Wednesday.

Norway had suspended its mediation in November after Kumaratunga triggered a power struggle with then prime minister Wickremesinghe, accusing him of making too many concessions to the rebels.

The Tamil Tigers have said they would resume negotiations based on a blueprint for self-rule, a demand rejected by Kumaratunga before her leftist Freedom Alliance coalition took office. Kumaratunga's office said Sunday's talks were "constructive and cordial." -AFP