A retired Norwegian army general arrived in Sri Lanka Saturday to start monitoring a ceasefire between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels, officials said.

Trond Furuhovde went into talks with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe shortly after landing here Saturday, officials said.

They said Furuhovde has already had talks with the Londonbased chief negotiator of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Anton Balasingham, on starting their monitoring mission.

Norway brokered an open-ended bilateral truce between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to clear the way for political talks aimed at ending decades of ethnic bloodshed in the island. Under the ceasefire deal, both sides must stop their offensive operations and allow their respective combatants access to each other's territory while out of uniform and without their weapons.

The 16-member ceasefire monitoring team headed by Furuhovde will be assisted by eminent Sri Lankans nominated by the Colombo government and the Tamil Tigers.

The truce deal has wide international support but Wickremesinghe is facing intense opposition from his political rival, President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who says Furuhovde's role threatens the island's sovereignty.