Sri Lanka peace talks

COLOMBO - Tamil Tiger rebels and Sri Lankan government officials met for the first time in the guerrilla stronghold of Jaffna to seek a political settlement to an ethnic conflict which has claimed more than 30,000 lives in 11 years.

A four-member official team which flew to the northern town was swamped by enthusiastic crowds of Tamils, military sources said. There was speculation that the two sides would begin by agreeing to exchange prisoners. AFP