Sri Lanka Prepares for SAARC Summit

(1 Aug 08 - RV) Security was stepped up in the Sri Lankan capital Columbo today ahead of a weekend summit.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, or Saarc, meeting has been taking place in the capital for the last week and will culminate with high level talks tomorrow and Sunday.

The Tamil Tiger rebels offered a cease-fire for the event, but the government rejected it as a ploy by the rebels to regroup after recent battlefield losses.

The summit will focus on cooperation regarding economic matters and terrorism.

But Executive Director of the National Peace Council Jehan Perera says that progress on these issues is unlikely.