COLOMBO, Jan. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake and the main opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed serious concern on Sunday over the escalating rate of violence in the north and east of the country.

    Wickramanayake addressing a public function at Galigomuva, 157 km northwest of Colombo urged the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels to adhere to the Norwegian backed cease-fire.

    "Only the government can not maintain the cease-fire and the other party must also abide by it," Wickramanayake told the gathering referring to the violence that has claimed over 100 lives since Dec. 1, 2005.

    The casualties include military personnel, civilians and members of militant groups.

    Soldiers of the Army and sailors of the Sri Lankan Navy account for almost half of the death toll due to persistent attacks on the security forces raising fears of return to hostilities for the first time since 2001.

    The main opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, the architect of the ongoing cease-fire and direct talks with the Tamil Tigers said that resumption of peace negotiations was the only way to check the cycle of violence.

    Addressing a gathering of his party activists at Polonnaruwa, 217 km northeast of Colombo in the North Central Province Wickremesinghe blamed the inability to start peace talks for the violence.

    "More the talks get delayed more advantageous it is for the Tigers," Wickremesinghe said, stressing that President Mahinda Rajapakse and his predecessor Chandrika Kumaratunga had failed to re-start peace negotiations with the LTTE rebels.

    The visit scheduled for later this month by the Norwegian Minister for International Development Erik Solheim is much awaited as his visit has raised hopes of both sides being impressed upon to return to the negotiating table. Enditem