COLOMBO: Norwegian Special Envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer is expected to be here in the next few days to carry forward the efforts to persuade the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to halt hostilities and resume the stalled dialogue.

Since the September 12 statement of the Co-Chairs of Sri Lanka in Brussels about both parties agreeing to unconditional talks, the official facilitator, Norway, has been engaged in behind-the-scenes activities to iron out issues raised by the two sides.

Last week, the Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka was in Kilinochchi to sort out with the LTTE the issues arising out of the concerns aired by Colombo.

The Government said on Wednesday that it had received a message from LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran saying he was serious about negotiations.

The Mahinda Rajapaksa Government had objected to what it termed "some inaccuracies" in the Co-Chairs statement and maintained that it would be futile to resume dialogue without credible guarantees.

The commitments it sought from the LTTE and the international community included a "personal guarantee" Mr. Prabhakaran that his outfit would not treat fresh talks as an opportunity to strengthen itself militarily.

Indications are that Norwegian Development Minister Erik Solheim would be here immediately after the visit of his country's Special Envoy. After their visit and meeting with the representatives of the Government and the LTTE, an announcement on the possible dates and venue for the new round of talks could be expected.

Diplomatic sources said there is pressure from the international community on both sides to resume dialogue.

The situation in Sri Lanka and the need for immediate measures to address the humanitarian crisis was one of the main topics of discussion during the Sri Lankan President's recent visit to Cuba and the United States and in his meetings with various heads of state, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Separately, voicing concern over the growing humanitarian crisis in the island nation, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) has urged the Sri Lanka Government and the LTTE to do "whatever in their power" to move forward instead of engaging in military confrontation.

In a new ruling on the situation from July 22 (when the LTTE blocked a waterway in the east) to date, the Mission said that as a result of the military confrontation triggered by the closure of the Mavil Aru sluice gate the country was faced with a serious humanitarian crisis in the north and east.

"As a result of these actions, over 200 civilians have been killed and several thousand are internally displaced," the newly appointed chief of the SLMM, Lars Solvberg said in a five-page statement released said.

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