COLOMBO, Oct. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- A Norwegian special envoy mandatedto explore the possibility of reviewing Sri Lanka's troubled cease-fire with the Tamil Tigers arrived in the country, government officials said Monday.

    Trond Furuhovde, a retired Norwegian major general arrived in the early hours of Monday.

    He is to have talks with the Sri Lankan government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels, truce monitors, civil and political groups, Norwegian diplomatic sources said.

    Furuhovde is the first Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission(SLMM), the Nordic cease-fire monitoring group.

    Furuhovde had two stints as the head of the SLMM since the cease-fire came into force in February 2002.

    The Sri Lankan government called for urgent talks to review thecease-fire in the immediate aftermath of the Aug. 12 assassination of former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar.

    Although the Tigers have denied the accusation, the assassination was seen as the prime reason for a statement by the European Union late last month, saying that they were considering a proscription of the Tigers.

    Furuhovde will visit the LTTE-held Kilinochchi on Thursday to have talks with the rebel leadership, the government sources said.

    The government and the Tigers have held six rounds of direct talks since the process began in September 2002.

    The efforts to revive the stalled talks since April 2003 have been of no avail so far. Enditem