Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa Ready for Talks If Tamil Tigers Disarm

Bangalore, India — Sri Lanka is ready to hold talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam if the rebels disarm, President Rajapaksa said. "I am ready today," Mr. Rajapaksa said, according to a statement posted on the Ministry of Defense's Web site. "Let them keep their weapons down because whenever they are weak they are ready for talks."

The Sri Lankan military has stepped up its offensive in the country's north by staging almost daily attacks on rebel bases. The LTTE, fighting for a separate homeland for Tamils since 1983, lost control of the Eastern Province in July 2007. The insurgency has claimed the lives of more than 70,000 people.