Colombo: Sri Lanka today (Mar 5, 2004) rejected a call by the revolting Tamil Tiger commander Karuna for a Defence pact with security forces and a fresh ceasefire replacing the truce arranged by Norway.

Defence Secretary Cyril Herath said he could not agree to the demand from V Muralitharan also known as Karuna, the breakaway leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), to have a Defence agreement and a new truce.

"We cannot agree to that when there is one ceasefire agreement signed between the Prime Minister and (Tiger leader Velupillai) Prabhakaran," Herath said. "How can we have another with a member of one of the parties."

He said Karuna made the request through Government military commanders but the service chiefs were against entering into negotiations with a faction of the LTTE.

"Both sides have indicated that they will abide by the ceasefire that is currently in place," Herath said. "In this situation we don't want to do anything. But we hope they will not fight each other."

Karuna's request yesterday (Mar 4, 2004) was the first sign that he had split up from the movement, which prides itself as one of the most ruthlessly efficient organisations with zero tolerance for dissent.

Sri Lanka's peace broker Norway had arranged the current truce, which went into effect from February 23, 2002.