President Mahinda Rajapakse said he was ready for talks immediately to review the two sides’ 2002 ceasefire.
Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran had said the rebels would intensify their struggle if there was no settlement within the next year.
Mr Rajapakse was elected this month on a pledge to be tough with the rebels.
The 2002 truce brokered by Norway ended more than 20 years of civil war which has killed more than 60,000 people.
