Colombo: The US said it has not softened its stance on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and ruled out a meeting between rebel group's representatives and American officials during the Oslo conference on November 25 to raise international support and aid for peace in Sri Lanka.

"At the upcoming Oslo conference, there will be no meeting between US officials and representatives of the Tigers. The LTTE will also remain in the US foreign terrorist organisations' list," US Ambassador in Colombo, Ashley Wills, told the 'The Sunday Leader'.

US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage is one of the leading participants at the "peace support meeting" hosted by Norway and to be addressed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and LTTE chief negotiator Anton Balasingham.

About 20 governments across the world are expected to participate, but India is confining itself to a token diplomatic presence at the inauguration, and will not be a participant in the aid-raising parleys.

Wills said the US would ask the LTTE to renounce terrorism and violence publicly and to make it clear once and for all that it would no longer press for a separate state.

"We have taken note of some encouraging steps and comments by the LTTE in recent months, but we remain deeply concerned at some of the group's activities," he said.

Balasingham had claimed after the first two sessions of peace talks in Thailand that the group did not operate with a secessionist aim, and that it was willing to enter the Democratic mainstream and allow other political parties to function in the North East.

PTI