The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) told the Scandinavians they would not attend the joint meeting with security forces scheduled for Saturday in the eastern town of Akkaraipattu, a spokeswoman for the monitors said.

She said the Tigers gave no reason for the pull-out, but two days ago a Tamil newspaper said the rebels planned a boycott of the meets to protest alleged military backing to a breakaway guerrilla leader known as Karuna.

The meets are aimed at sorting out problems relating to the implementation of the Norwegian-brokered ceasefire in place since February 2002 to ensure that minor incidents do not lead to a complete breakdown of the truce.

The goverment admitted Thursday that elements of the military had supported a renegade rebel commander despite the Tigers' warnings that capitalising on the split could push the country back to war.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have stepped up recruiting hundreds of child soldiers despite pledges to free all underage combatants among their ranks, UNICEF said Saturday.

The United Nations children's agency said the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were going back on its promises not to enlist anyone below the age of 18 years and that a major recruitment drive was underway.