The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said it was not bound by a declaration issued by international donors who pledged some $ 4.5 billion to help rebuild Sri Lanka at a June 2003 meeting in Tokyo.

"We have already rejected the 'Tokyo Declaration' as an unwarranted intervention by extra-territorial forces in the peace process," the pro-rebel Tamilnet website quoted Tiger chief negotiator Anton Balasingham as saying.

His remarks came as Japan gave a $238 million concessionary loan to Sri Lanka and expressed the hope that peace talks, stalled since April last year, would begin soon.

Japan's special peace envoy Yasushi Akashi ended a mission here Tuesday to try and salvage the tottering peace bid.

LTTE suspends peace talks

The Tokyo aid conference arranged by Akashi called for tangible progress in the peace process before donors could release the promised aid over a period of four years.

"A solution to the ethnic conflict cannot be pre-determined by the resolutions or declarations of donor conferences, but has to be negotiated by the parties in conflict, without the constraints of external forces," Balasingham said.

Norwegian peace envoys are expected in Colombo later this month.

The US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage who was due here next week has cancelled the visit because of a change in travel plans, the US embassy here said.

Armitage had taken a hands-on interest in Sri Lanka's peace process and had been critical of the guerrillas, urging them to abandon the use of suicide bombers, stop child recruitment and give up the use of violence.

The Tigers said last week that they have not abandoned their "right to secede" despite agreeing to "explore" a federal solution during the third round of negotiations held in Oslo.

More reports from Sri Lanka