Norway made the offer last month after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) attacked navy boats with truce monitors aboard during the worst sea battle with government forces since a 2002 ceasefire.

The rebel acceptance comes just days after the 25-nation European Union blacklisted them as a terrorist group and moved to freeze their assets.

"We have decided today that we will attend talks in Oslo, but they will only be talks about truce monitor safety and not peace talks," rebel media coordinator Daya Master said by telephone from the northern rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi.

"Our team will convey our leadership's message about the EU ban to the Nordic countries and facilitators and the damage the ban will have on peace talks," he added. The Tiger delegation will fly to Oslo on Sunday.

The Tigers have warned the unarmed Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to stop escorting navy ships or face the consequences, drawing widespread international condemnation. Diplomats say the defiance helped spur the EU ban.

The Tigers have indefinitely pulled out of peace talks with the government after a surge in attacks and clashes with the military that some analysts fear could reignite a two-decade civil war that killed more than 64,000 people.