Colombo, July 04: Tamil Tiger rebel leaders will discuss resuming peace talks with the government after reviewing new proposals from Colombo that would give minority Tamils more autonomy, rebel sources said today. Norwegian peace envoy Jon Westborg was expected to carry the proposals to the rebels in northern Sri Lanka next week in an attempt to restart the talks, which the rebels broke off in April after accusing the government of not doing enough to help Tamils in the northeast.

The meeting between rebel leader Anton Balasingham and S P Thamilselvan, head of the tigers' political wing, will likely take place in London, the rebel sources said on condition of anonymity. A date for the meeting has not yet been set, they said.

Government officials have been working behind closed doors to finalise the proposals in a desperate bid to make use of the island's best chance for peace since the insurgency began in 1983.
Despite international pressure, the rebels have refused to resume negotiations until the government offers them an interim administration that would give ethnic Tamils political and financial powers.

The meeting between the rebel leaders will probably take place in London because Balasingham, who holds a British passport and has been living there since 1989, suffers from health problems that make it difficult for him to travel. But it was not immediately clear how Thamilselvan would be able to obtain a visa to Britain, where the group is outlawed as a terrorist organisation.

Bureau Report