Constitutional affairs minister D. E. W. Gunasekara said: "We don't get excited by these deadlines," set by the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the government to come up with a reasonable settlement.

"You can't do these things in a hurry. You can't do it in one night," he told reporters.

The LTTE on Sunday told the new government to come up with a "reasonable" political settlement by year end or risk a war that could break up the island.

Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in his annual policy statement said hardline President Mahinda Rajapakse should put forward a "reasonable political framework" before next year.

"This is our urgent and final appeal," Prabhakaran said. "If the new government rejects our urgent appeal, we will next year ... establish self-government in our homeland."

The Tiger leader also noted that the new president was a "pragmatic leader" but with no understanding of the problems of minority Tamils. The LTTE spearheads a struggle for independence for the 12.5 percent Tamil minority.

Gunasekara said the Tiger leader's statement was "positive" but that the government did not take the deadline seriously.

He said the new government was initiating talks with all political parties represented in parliament before opening direct negotiations with the Tigers.

The top Norwegian truce monitor travelled to the island's north Thursday for talks with the LTTE on the ceasefire, which came under renewed pressure following the slaying of foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in mid-August.