Sri Lanka govt, rebels willing to talk-Akashi

BRUSSELS, Sep 12 (Reuters) The Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger guerrillas have told Norwegian peace mediators they are willing to return to peace talks without conditions, Japan's peace envoy to the country said today.

''We rejoice at the announcement conveyed by both the government and LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) to our Norwegian facilitator that they are willing to come to talks without any conditions,'' Yasushi Akashi told a news briefing.

Speaking after talks between the co-chairs of the Sri Lanka donors' group in Brussels, Akashi said the first step to talks would be for both sides to cease military action.

EU Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the co-chairs -- the European Union, Japan, the United States and Norway -- believed the talks should take place urgently in Oslo, hopefully at the beginning of October.

She said the co-chairs would then meet at the end of October to review the progress.

Ferrero-Waldner said the co-chairs had been ''deeply alarmed'' by recent ceasefire violations and rights abuses by both sides.

She said the LTTE needed to show it was willing to make compromises necessary for a political solution and the government to ensure the military abided by the ceasefire.

REUTERS SAM RAI1910