The Sri Lankan government and Tamil rebels have signed a formal cease-fire, setting the stage for the first direct peace talks in seven years. The agreement was brokered by Norway, which has been working for two years to bring the two sides to the negotiating table.

The agreement was signed in the northern Sri Lankan town of Vavuniya, and is to take effect at zero hours Universal Time Saturday. The deal requires both sides to give two weeks' notice before pulling out of the pact, and to submit to an international monitoring mission led by Norway.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe - meeting with Sri Lankan soldiers on the northern part of the island - cautioned that the road to peace will not be easy. He said the government hopes to begin discussions with the Norwegians on prospects for face-to-face talks with the Tamil rebels.

A 1995 suspension of fighting collapsed after 100 days when Tamil rebels attacked two Sri Lankan navy gunboats. Tamil rebels have been fighting since 1983 for an independent homeland on the island to put an end to what they say is domination by the Sinhalese majority.

The war so far has killed more than 60,000 people.

Some information for this report provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

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