S Lanka peace mediator meets Tigers, 3 soldiers killed

COLOMBO, March 5 (Reuters) Sri Lankan rebels warned of a ''bloodbath'' if international mediators are unable to restrain government forces, after holding talks today with Norway's ambassador in the strife-torn northern part of the country.

Norwegian envoy Hans Brattskar's visit to the Tiger-held town of Killinochchi comes days after the Italian and US ambassadors to Colombo and the United Nations representative to Sri Lanka were slightly hurt when rebels shelled a diplomatic delegation led by the island's human rights minister to the restive east.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), repeated their warning of a ''bloodbath'' if the international community failed to stop daily military attacks.

Tamil Tiger political wing leader, S P Thamilselvan, told ambassador Brattskar that the International community is not helping to change the situation.

''The present soft approach of the international community towards the GoSL (Government of Sri Lanka) is not going to change its plans and will only contribute to a worsening situation leading to bloodbath in the island,'' said a statement emailed by the Tamil Tiger peace secretariat quoting Thamilselvan said.

Norwegian mediators had no immediate comment.

Sri Lanka's military said three soldiers had been killed in the restive Jaffna peninsula, cut off from the rest of the island by Tamil Tiger lines, during a confrontation early today.

''One of our patrols confronted some LTTE cadres and three soldiers were killed,'' said military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe. He said the Tigers might also have suffered casualties.

International donors have called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to peace talks, but the foes have repeatedly ignored international calls to halt a conflict that has killed around 68,000 people over the past two decades -- 4,000 in the past 15 months alone.

REUTERS PDM RK1703