COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: A senior British diplomat will travel to northern Sri Lanka to urge Tamil Tiger rebels to return to peace talks, a British official said Thursday, amid intensified fighting on the troubled island.
Britain's Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Lesley Craig had been due to travel Thursday to Kilinochchi, the main rebel-held city, but the trip was postponed, British High Commission spokesman John Culley said.
While no reason was given for the delay, Culley said Craig would travel soon to meet with leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, as the rebels are formally known.
The Sri Lankan government recently barred the Norwegian ambassador from making a similar trip to Kilinochchi.
Norway helped broker a 2002 cease-fire between the government and rebels, and the Scandinavian country has continued to serve as a mediator as sporadic fighting has degenerated into all-out war in the past 18 months. More >>
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