The Sri Lankan government on Thursday said it would not return to war with the Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam rebels despite the acts of provocation by the latter.

The government has urged the LTTE to break the prolonged deadlock and return to the negotiating table.

"The government will neither start a war nor provoke the LTTE, but will truly abide by the provisions of the existing ceasefire agreement," government spokesman and Health Minister Nimal Sripala de Silva said in Colombo.

Claiming that the situation in the restive Northern Jaffna peninsula had been brought under control by the security forces, the minister said the government's commitment to a negotiated political settlement 'will not be deterred by the acts of the LTTE'.

"Being a responsible government, we will behave well unlike the LTTE. In fact, the donor co-chairs have praised the government and reprimanded the LTTE. President Mahinda Rajapakse has given a strong signal to the armed forces not to retaliate against any LTTE provocations, except for the purpose of defence," the spokesman said.

The government hailed the statement made by United States Ambassador Jeffrey Lunstead in an address to the American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka [Images] earlier this week, where he came down hard upon the LTTE and warned the rebel outfit that it would have to pay dearly if it decided to resort to war.

President Rajapakse has had lengthy discussions with all political parties represented in the Parliament in a bid to forge a common ground and 'none of them want to go to war,' de Silva said.

The government was hopeful that the visit of Norway's special peace envoy and International Development Minister Erik Solheim, beginning from January 23, would help break the ice, he added.