Colombo: Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels today (Mar 3, 2004) faced the biggest ever leadership crisis with a regional commander virtually breaking away, diplomatic sources said.

The Eastern commander of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), V Muralitharan told the Government security forces that his faction should be treated as a separate entity from the original LTTE led by Velupillai Prabhakaran.

Norwegian peace brokers held emergency talks with Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and other Government negotiators to discuss the power struggle, diplomatic sources said.

Norway's Ambassador Hans Brattskar, Scandinavians monitoring the truce between Government forces and the Tigers were at the meeting.

Norway had been told by Muralitharan, better known as Karuna, who is also a Tiger peace negotiator, that Norwegians should deal with him directly, diplomatic sources close to the talks said.

A Government military official in the East said aides of Karuna had said they were virtually breaking away from the rebels in the North of the island who are directly under Tiger supremo, Velupillai Prabhakaran.

Karuna had been seen as a potential number two in the rebel organisation and was included in the LTTE's peace negotiating team after a spate of violent attacks in the East.