Sri Lanka opened talks on Monday with a top Norwegian envoy on saving the troubled peace process with Tamil Tigers even as suspected rebels shot dead a police officer in the island's restive east.
Top government official Palitha Kohona held closed-door talks with Oslo's special envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer on resuming the country's troubled peace initiative and ending a seven-month deadlock in face-to-face negotiations with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
While the talks were underway, a police officer was shot dead by suspected Tamil Tigers in the island's east. The police officer was shot while on his way to assume duty at Pottuvil police station in Ampara district.
The shooting came a day after three soldiers and a civilian were killed in a rebel mortar bomb attack.
Government officials said they hoped the latest visit by the Norwegian peacebroker will clear the way for talks this month with LTTE.
Hanssen-Bauer, who arrived in Colombo on Sunday, will travel to the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi on Tuesday for talks with the Tamil Tiger leadership.
Meanwhile, rebels accused government forces and their allies on Monday of killing 114 civilians last month alone.
'During the month of September, 114 civilians were killed and 29 disappeared', LTTE said in a statement. 'A further 52 were either arrested or abducted'.
The government denied Tiger allegations.
