Colombo, June 13: The United States, which has listed Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels as a terrorist group, said on Friday they should resume peace talks with the island's government as soon as possible.
The rebels pulled out of talks in April saying not enough was being done to help the minority Tamil community, and boycotted an aid meeting in Tokyo this week that raised $ 4.5 billion to rebuild Sri Lanka after 20 years of ethnic war.


"We urge them to return to talks with the government of Sri Lanka immediately," the United States said in a statement released by its embassy in Colombo.

The rebels and the government agreed to a ceasefire in February last year and they held six rounds of direct talks before the rebels withdrew.


Much of the aid promised at the Tokyo donors' conference was tied to progress in the peace process.

The rebels -- the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam -- have demanded a "clearly defined draft framework" for an interim administration in the north and east before the talks can be restarted.


The stalemate has cast a cloud over the island's best chance to end the war in which 64,000 people have been killed. Four previous peace bids all ended in renewed fighting.


Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told the donor's conference he was willing to form a "provisional administrative structure" in which the Tigers would have a "significant role".



The United States said in its statement the Tigers should start discussing the issues with the government.


"The issues that this organisation continues to raise through public announcements are exactly the types of issues that should be settled around a negotiating table," the statement said.

"By not attending they missed an important opportunity to discuss with donors the needs and priorities of their community in Sri Lanka and to have a voice in reconstruction and rehabilitation assistance," it said, referring to the aid conference.



The United States has taken a firm line on the Tigers, saying they would have to give up violence "in word and deed" before being recognised as a legitimate political group.
Bureau Report