Oslo, Dec 02: Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebel negotiators open a third round of peace talks today amid concerns that a brewing political crisis at home could deter the island nation's best chance for peace in nearly two decades. For the first time since negotiations started, the Sri Lankan government will be represented by a smaller three-member team, after a key government negotiator, Rauf Hakeem, left Oslo yesterday just hours after his arrival to defuse an attempt to overthrow his leadership of the island's main Muslim party.

The three-hour session set to begin at 1930 IST at a luxury hotel in this peace-brokering city was expected to focus on consolidating a fragile cease-fire that has stopped the fighting that has killed nearly 65,000 people since 1983. "We have now reached an important milestone in the peace process and it is our aim to carry it further," said the Sri Lankan government's chief negotiator, Gamini Peiris.

For at least two years, Norway has played a key role in bringing the two sides together.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam have fought since 1983 to divide the island along ethnic lines saying the country's 3.2 million minority Tamils are discriminated against by the Sinhalese majority.
The fighting stopped since the warring parties signed Norwegian-brokered cease-fire agreement on February 22. Both sides have moved swiftly with measures to restore normalcy in the most war-ravaged north and east of the country, located off the southern tip of India.

Bureau Report