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Norwegians move to salvage Lankan truce

Power struggle in Tamil Tiger leadership

AFP, Colombo
Scandinavian truce monitors opened talks with Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers as a rift within the rebel leadership threatened to undermine an already fragile ceasefire, officials said.
The head of the Norwegian-led Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Trond Furuhovde flew to the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi, 330km north of here, spokeswoman Agnes Bragadottir said.
She said Furuhovde and his deputy were already in talks with the political wing head of the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), S. P. Thamilselvan. No details of the talks were immediately available.
The visit comes after the first major public airing of differences in the normally disciplined and unified Tigers, involving the outfit's eastern commander V. Muralitharan -- better known by his nom de guerre Karuna.
The pro-rebel Tamilnet.com website denied there was a "major split" in the LTTE, led by elusive supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran, 49, who is based in the north of the island.
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"We will be functioning directly under the command of our leader," Tamilnet quoted a spokesman ofKaruna as saying. Hesaid: "Therewasnosplitin theLTTE."
However diplomatic sources said Karuna, who is also a member of the Tigers' peace negotiating team, had informed Norway through his aide that he should be treated as a separate entity, signallinghisdissent.
Karuna had also asked the government military to help him bring back forces loyal to him from the north of the country,amilitaryofficial said.
Local rebel sources said Karuna had been unhappy about two killings in his area apparently carried at the orders of another less senior leader based in the north.
Sri Lanka's government of Prime MinisterRanilWickremesinghe aswellas the party of President Chandrika Kumaratungareacted cautiously.
"There is a problem, but we have no reason to believe that the continuation of the ceasefire agreement is in doubt," government spokesman G. L. Peiris told reportershere.
Kumaratunga's party spokesman Mangala Samaraweera too declined comment saying they were still studying reports and did not want to comment on internal mattersoftherebelmovement.
Before the rift within the LTTE erupted it was a power crisis with the Sri Lankan government that peace broker Norwayhadtocontendwith.
President Kumaratunga went onto sackthe legislature controlled bypremier
Wickremesinghe and called elections for April 2, nearly four years ahead of schedule after accusing him of granting too manyconcessionsto therebels.
Prabhakaran is regarded as wielding an iron fist over his outfit. A potential number two who had emerged as a threat to him was killed by the rebels in the mid-1990s.
Government military commanders were also puzzled over the timing of the crisis, which erupted a month ahead of elections the rebels are contesting throughproxycandidates.