Sri Lanka sets date for peace talks

Four earlier peace bids in Sri Lanka have failed and many hurdles still remain

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Peace talks between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger separatists will begin in mid-September, a source in Thailand's Foreign Ministry said.

The expected dates for the talks are September 12-17 in one of three sites in Thailand, which will host the meetings.

Citing security concerns, the source said the exact location of talks would not be immediately announced, but would either be in Chiangmai in northern Thailand, Phuket in the south, or Pattaya in the east.

In Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital, government spokesman Gamini Kashman Peiris said direct peace talks will provide a historical opportunity for bringing peace and prosperity to the country.

Peiris said the details of the agenda are being worked out, but he expected talks to be held about twice a month until a final and comprehensive agreement can be reached.

A ceasefire has held for eight months, following the election of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe last December.

AUDIO CNN's Kasra Naji reports on the latest peace talks move (Aug 15) 2.04 MB / 3 mins 14 secs WAV sound   IN-DEPTH Sri Lanka: A nation divided    EXTRA INFORMATION Sri Lanka timeline     CNN.com Asia More news from our Asia edition

He revived the peace process, saying the electorate had given him a strong mandate to end the 20-year-old war with the rebels.

The agreement to hold direct talks was reached in Norway's capital, Oslo, after talks between a senior government minister and a senior representative of the Tamil Tigers.

Norway -- which is facilitating the six-month-old peace process -- has said both sides are working together in a highly constructive spirit to move the process forward.

Separately, senior U.N. high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) officials disclosed that some 100,000 of nearly a million people displaced by the war have returned home during the ceasefire.

The UNHCR is planning a program of assistance for those wishing to return to their homes.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have been fighting since 1983 for a separate homeland for the Tamil minority, claiming discrimination by the Sinhalese majority. More than 64,500 people have been killed in the conflict.

-- CNN correspondents Kasra Naji and Narunart Prapanya contributed to this story.