Colombo: The executive director of UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) Carol Bellamy on January 30 met around 1,000 children affected by the island's decades-old ethnic conflict ahead of her talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the issue of child soldiers, UN officials said.

Bellamy, who arrived in Colombo on January 30, will hold talks with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe later on January 30 before travelling to the rebel-held North on January 31 for talks with the LTTE, the officials said.

The UNICEF head will take up the issue of recruitment of children as soldiers with the LTTE, and urge them to give the assurance that they will end the practice.

"The impact of the armed conflict on children and the protection of children will be the primary areas of focus of her visit," the UNICEF said in a statement earlier this week.

There has been repeated criticism of the LTTE for recruiting children as soldiers despite pledges to the UNICEF in 1998 to stop the practice.

"The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (run by the Norwegians facilitating peace talks) is still receiving complaints about child recruitment of the LTTE, and even though their numbers have clearly been going down (during) the last months, SLMM would like to see an immediate end to this practice," the monitors said.

The LTTE has been arguing that youngsters without birth certificates were joining them while others were forced into the rebel group because of poverty.

The issue has also figured in face-to-face talks between the LTTE and the government.

Government spokesman G L Peiris said the authorities would take up the question of child soldiers with Bellamy who leaves on February 1 for a visit to Nepal.

PTI