1 soldier, 1 civilian killed, 6 police wounded in Sri Lanka as peace talks begin

Associated Press, Sat October 28, 2006 09:59 EDT . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels fatally shot a government soldier and wounded six police officers in two bomb attacks Saturday in volatile northeastern Sri Lanka - , as peace talks began in Switzerland between the two sides. Erik Solheim, the Norwegian chief mediator, opened the talks with a personal appeal for progress in ending the 23-year conflict, saying it was time to move forward because Sri Lanka - 's people and the international community are growing impatient for peace.

The Tigers political chief, S.P. Tamilselvan, accused the government of carrying out an undeclared war against the Tamil people, and said his group was prepared to engage in ``unconditional direct talks'' because of the dire situation.

He blamed the European Union's inclusion of the Tamil Tigers on a list of designated terrorist groups for a worsening of the conflict, saying it had allowed the military the chance to act ``with impunity.''

``The best we can hope for from the current talks is therefore, the strengthening of the (cease-fire) agreement that has the potential to lead to a permanent, just peace,'' Tamilselvan said in Geneva, according to TamilNet.

The government, which has long maintained that the Tigers are guilty of serious human rights abuses including the recruitment of child soldiers and stifling democracy in the areas they control, said it hoped the talks would move the country forward.

Talks planned for April were canceled after both sides blamed the other for the rising violence.

Increased fighting in the island country off southern India has killed about 2,000 soldiers, rebels and civilians this year.

The rebels want a self-ruled homeland for minority ethnic Tamils, citing discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.

The government says it can offer autonomy, but not a separate state. About 65,000 people were killed before the 2002 truce