United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan on Tuesday asked the government and separatist Tamil Tigers to support the Norwegian-brokered truce and resume talks.

'Escalating violence in the past few months has put a severe strain on the ceasefire,' Annan said in a statement on Monday.

He strongly urged the government of Sri Lanka [Images] and the LTTE to shore up the ceasefire, ensure respect for human rights of all Sri Lankans, and urgently resume their dialogue under the facilitation of the Norwegian Government.

'A return to conflict will not resolve outstanding differences between the parties,' he stressed.

Annan also deplored Saturday's attack on the facilities of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission.

The Mission, which includes observers from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, was set up under a ceasefire agreement of February 2002.

In December, clashes between the LTTE and Sri Lanka's military left more than 20 soldiers and civilians dead.