Tuesday, April 11 2006 14:18 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Colombo: Peace-broker Norway along with Japan and the European Union today (Apr 11, 2006) mounted pressure on both the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government to go ahead with their proposed ceasefire talks next month despite an upsurge in violence.

Ambassadors from Norway, Japan and the European Union met with the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) yesterday to urge them to go ahead with the talks tentatively arranged for April 19 to 21. Even as the ambassadors met with the LTTE yesterday, suspected Tamil Tiger rebels blasted a claymore mine, killing five soldiers and two local aid workers.

The defence ministry said security was increased in the area after yesterday's incident which once again cast a shadow over the proposed Swiss talks on saving the island's troubled ceasefire.

"The LTTE was urged again to refrain from all violence and to engage in a discussion on a political outcome, ensuring the democratic rights of all people in Sri Lanka," the ambassadors said in a statement today.

They said as with the government, they called on the LTTE to live up to its commitments and to make a strong and positive LTTE engagement to make the upcoming talks a success.

"To ensure full compliance with the ceasefire agreement and to move beyond this, it is paramount that the Government and LTTE work on confidence building measures that create an enabling environment for further steps in the peace process," they said.