Constitutional Affairs Minister G.L Peiris who heads the government's peace team in the Norwegian-brokered peace effort to end the country's drawn out ethnic conflict was briefing reporters here on the outcome of the fifth round of direct negotiations held in the German capital of Berlin last week.

"We have made much progress on human rights with the LTTE making clear assurances that they would stop their recruitment of child soldiers," Peiris said.

The LTTE rebels have been facing wide spread criticism for their abduction and forcible recruitment of children as young as 12.

Carol Bellamy, executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) who toured Sri Lanka early this month, urged the LTTE to show strong commitment to do away with recruiting children for combat.

Peiris said the two sides have agreed to begin discussing the fiscal aspects of power sharing at the sixth round of peace talks scheduled from March 18 to 21.

"Without monetary resources the devolved units of power would be meaningless," Peiris said.

At the conclusion of the third round of talks held in Thailand, the LTTE announced that they would settle for regional autonomy based on a federal model as opposed to their long held demand for a separate state for the minority Tamils in the north and east of the country.

The ongoing peace talks are aimed at ending separatist armed conflict that has claimed over 64,000 lives since 1983.

The sixth round of talks to be held in Japan will be followed by a conference to be attended by Sri Lanka's international donors in June.

"The government is now engaged in the process of preparing for the donor meeting," Peiris said.

The donor meeting is aimed at boosting the ongoing peace process by making available much needed cash towards rehabilitation and reconstruction of the country's war-ravaged north and east.

(Xinhua News Agency February 14, 2003)