Tigers rule out mid-Feb peace talks

COLOMBO (Reuters) -

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers have rejected government plans for peace talks in Geneva on February 15 because of reported abductions of pro-Tiger aid workers, and want talks in late February instead, a rebel source said on Sunday.

The government said on Friday the talks, seen as vital to stop a rash of violence escalating into a return to a two-decade-old war that has already killed more than 64,000 people, would start in Switzerland on February15 for two days.

"February 15 is completely out," the rebel source told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "The Tigers are keen to go to Geneva for talks, but the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) abductions have affected the atmosphere."

"The Tamil people are in a panic and are very upset, so the Tigers cannot meet the government's February 15 talks deadline, and are instead aiming for talks at the end of February," he added, referring to the reported abduction of 10 TRO aid workers that some officials fear is a Tiger propaganda stunt.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) demand that any talks focus on implementation of a ceasefire agreed in 2002, and in particular a clause that stipulates the state must disarm paramilitaries the rebels says are attacking them, and say talks are doomed if the government tries to amend the terms.