COLOMBO, Dec. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels told the international truce monitors Thursday that they are ready to resume peace talks with the new government at any time.

    The head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Hagrup Hauklandmet with the political wing leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) S. P. Thamilselvan at the rebel-held Kilinochchi district in the Northern Province.

    According to governmental sources, the rebels told Haukland that they are ready to start talks at any time and expect the government to come up with its moves to resume talks.

    The rebels assured the truce monitors that they have no intention to resume hostilities and are prepared to allow President Mahinda Rajapakse reasonable time to move ahead.

    The assurances came in the wake of a speech made by LTTE leader Velupillai Prabakaran last Sunday.

    He said he would take action to pursue its struggle for self-determination next year unless Rajapakse's government came up with an acceptable formula to settle the separatist armed conflict.

    Rajapakse's victory in the presidential election raised doubts about the future of the Norwegian-backed peace process as Rajapakse was backed in his presidential bid by the leftist JVP and the nationalist JHU -- both parties are opposed to negotiations with the LTTE.

    Constitutional Affairs Minister Dew Gunasekera said Thursday the government was keen to start the peace process and Rajapakse's actions since being elected had shown that he was not a hard liner on the ethnic question.

    The LTTE began fighting in 1983 to create a separate state for ethnic minority Tamils, accusing the majority Sinhalese of discrimination.

    More than 60,000 people were killed in the conflict before the 2002 cease-fire halted major offensives between the two sides.

    However, the peace process came to a standstill in April 2003 as the LTTE withdrew from the direct talks with the government. Enditem