KILINOCHCHI, Sept 17: The political leader of the Tamil Tiger rebels has called for immediate talks with Sri Lanka’s government to save a shaky ceasefire. Tamil Tiger political chief S.P. Thamilselvan said the rebel group was ready ‘even in the next minute’ to begin talks with the government.

The truce agreed in 2002 has come under fresh strains since the assassination of the country’s foreign minister last month in an attack blamed by the government on Tamil rebels.

“We are anxious to start the talks immediately... even in the next minute,” Mr Thamilselvan said in an interview at his political headquarters, 330 kilometres north of Colombo, on Friday night.

Peace broker Norway has sought talks between the two sides in the wake of the assassination of foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, which has stoked fears of a return to civil war in the Indian Ocean island nation.

Mr Thamilselvan denied that the Tigers carried out the Aug 12 murder of Mr Kadirgamar, an ethnic Tamil who was a fierce critic of the rebels, saying they had ‘nothing to gain by killing anyone’. He said the rebels had suggested an overseas venue for any future talks to safeguard the ceasefire.

Earlier the Tigers turned down the international airport as a venue after it was suggested as a possible neutral location for talks. Colombo has insisted that any discussions take place in Sri Lanka, but the two sides have so far been unable to agree on a location.

The focus of talks would be on how to preserve the ceasefire that ended decades of civil war which claimed 60,000 lives. —AFP