COLOMBO, Oct 9: The government on Thursday welcomed the US decision to declare the Tamil Tigers a terrorist group, saying it will force the rebels to negotiate and stop their 14-year-old Insurgency, reports AP.

"At last the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has got the correct label. Now they will have problems In raising funds," said Brigadier Sarath Munasinghe, the spokesman for the defense ministry,

"With less funds they will have problems in getting weapons and we plan to push them militarily to the point where they will have to talk peace," Munasinghe told re-

US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright took steps Wednesday to block fund rais-

ing, freeze assets and punish US-based backers of the Tamil Tigers and 29 other foreign or ganisations she designated as terrorist groups.

"It is a victory for Srl Lanka s foreign policy and testimony of a strong and healthy bilateral relationship that exists between Sri Lanka and the United States." the foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday.

The Tamil Tigers maintain a major office in London and also are active in promoting their cause and seeking financial support elsewhere in Europe and in North America. Most of the group's funds are believed to come from sympathizers-

According to independent estimates. over 6.000 rebels have been killed since the beginning of the war.