Colombo, Aug 04: A senior Tamil tiger leader wrapped up meetings with the rank and file in eastern Sri Lanka amid hopes that stalled peace talks will restart, officials and guerrilla sources said. The head of the political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), S P Thamilselvan, ended a week-long tour of the embattled eastern province after lengthy discussions on the peace process, the sources said.
Thamilselvan is based in the island's northern Wanni region. The bulk of the LTTE's fighting force in recent times has come from the island's east.
Rebel sources said Thamilselvan was due to brief rebel supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran on his meetings with lower ranks and regional leaders.
There have meanwhile been diplomatic moves to end the deadlock in the Norwegian-backed peace bid.
Japan yesterday urged the tigers to re-enter the talks, which they left in April, and revive the process aimed at ending three decades of ethnic bloodshed that has claimed the lives of 60,000 people.

"I am concerned that peace talks have not been resumed. I urge the LTTE to return to peace talks as soon as possible," said a statement from Tetsuro Yano, senior vice minister for foreign affairs, who is visiting the island.
Yano went to the embattled Jaffna peninsula on Sunday and on Monday exchanged documents granting 12.3 million dollars for a water project in the island's south and 2.6 million dollars to help women and children in former war zones.
Bureau Report