Sri Lanka’s Tigers seek military upper hand ahead of talks

Tamil Tiger rebels, blamed for a series of deadly attacks on Sri Lankan troops, are battling to gain the upper hand over the military ahead of a new round of peace talks, analysts said Friday.









Tamil Tiger rebels, blamed for a series of deadly attacks on Sri Lankan troops, are battling to gain the upper hand over the military ahead of a new round of peace talks, analysts said Friday. The separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have remained quiet about the string of deadly attacks over the past month which have threatened a three-year-old ceasefire brokered by Norway.

But analysts see the attacks as an attempt by the Tigers to create a strong negotiating position, rather than a bid to reignite the island's civil war which has claimed over 60,000 lives since 1972.

"It seems the LTTE wants to speak from a position of strength when they go for talks," said Harry Gunatillake, a retired air force chief.

"These attacks are not a sign that we will revert to war. But I think it is more of an indication that the Tigers want to go for talks from a position where they can call the shots.

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The Tigers suffered an unexpected setback in March 2004 when a regional commander kn