Tigers agree to Oslo talks

The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) face the "terrorist" label across the 25-member European Union bloc following a meeting of ministers in Brussels later Monday, European diplomats said.

The threat of a ban as well as possible condemnation at a meeting of aid donors to Sri Lanka in Tokyo this week has put intense pressure on the rebels to mediate to help halt a surge in violence which has claimed about 600 lives since December.

A ban could lead to a crackdown on fundraising for the Tigers, who are accused by human rights organisations of extorting money from Tamils living abroad.

Ahead of the EU meeting, a pro-rebel website reported that the group's political leader had accepted an invitation by peace broker Norway to attend a two-day meeting on June 8 to discuss the role of ceasefire monitors.

"Our leadership has accepted Norways invitation to attend the talks in Oslo," Nitharsanam.com quoted leader S. P. Thamilselvan as saying.

However, the website said the guerrillas needed assurances on the logistics of travelling to Norway.

"Although we accepted the invitation, transport arrangements and safety of LTTE members attending the talks has not been finalised as yet," Thamilselvan said. "The Norwegian facilitators have taken the full responsibility of making such arrangements."

Norway, however, has indicated that an EU ban on the Tigers would complicate their work. And the rebels have warned they could be forced to resume their war for an independent homeland if they are outlawed in Europe where they raise large amounts of cash.

Tamils comprise 12.5 percent of the population in a country where Sinhalese are the majority.

The LTTE was set up by a school drop-out in 1972 and what was a rag-tag handful of men carrying locally made pistols has grown to be one of the world's most ruthlessly efficient guerrilla outfits.