COLOMBO, Jan. 25 (Xinhuanet) -- Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebels ended a long standing deadlock over the future of the fragile peace process Wednesday by agreeing to meet once again face to face, government officials said.

    The Norwegian Minister of International Development, Erik Solheim, who held crucial talks Wednesday with the rebel leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Velupillai Prabakaran has managed to achieve the breakthrough, officials added.

    The two sides will now meet in Geneva, Switzerland, in mid February to have talks on strengthening and fully implementing the ongoing Norwegian-backed ceasefire, diplomatic sources said.

    The ceasefire was under severe strain particularly since the beginning of December 2005.

    Nearly 100 soldiers were killed in claymore mine explosions blamed on the Tamil Tiger rebels.

    The government after the August 2005 assassination of the then foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar had called for talks to review and amend the February 2002 ceasefire agreement.

    But the move came to be deadlocked over the choice of the venue. The government opted for an Asian venue while the LTTE kept on insisting for the Norwegian capital of Oslo.

    This will be the first direct talks between the LTTE and the government since March 2003. Enditem