Akashi is on a mission to 'revive the negotiation process' says the Govt.

The Japanese embassy in Colombo said Mr Akashi would be in Sri Lanka for three days to discuss the situation there, but did not give any more detail.

He is to meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa and "is on a mission to try and revive the negotiation process," the government information department said.

LTTE 'shocked'

Violence has escalated in Sri Lanka since the beginning of this year, when President Mahinda Rajapakse's government withdrew from a ceasefire agreement (CFA) that had been signed with the Tamil Tigers in 2002.

Expressing surprise at the government's decision to withdraw from the CFA, LTTE said they are still prepared to fully implement it.

But the government has rejected LTTE's call.

Sri Lanka's Ambassador and Permanant Representative at the UN in Geneva, Dayan Jayathilake, told BBC Sandeshaya that the LTTE did have enough time to implement it if they genuinely wanted to.

Both the government and the LTTE have asked Norway to stay as the peace facilitator.