New Delhi - India's External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee was scheduled to visit Sri Lanka on Tuesday as the Tamil Tiger rebels were cornered by the military in the island nation's northern areas.

Mukherjee told reporters in New Delhi that he was heading to Sri Lanka and would hold talks with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and other top leaders.

The minister will push for a lasting political solution to the ethnic conflict and hold talks regarding the safety of the Tamil civilians trapped in the war zone.

Rajapakasa accused the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of using civilians as human shields.

Aid agencies estimate 230,000 civilians remain in rebel-controlled areas, while the Sri Lankan army estimated the figure to be around
150,000.

"We are for the fight against terrorists and all sorts of terrorism. Therefore we have no sympathy for any terrorist activity indulged by any organization, particularly LTTE (which) is a banned organization in India," Mukherjee said.

"But we are concerned with the plight of the civilians and we shall have to see how the civilians can be protected and they do not become the hapless victims of the situation," he added.

Sri Lanka's minority Tamils have close links with 60 million Tamils in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu.

Mukherjee's visit comes against the backdrop of political parties in Tamil Nadu pressing the Indian government to monitor the plight of civilian victims.

India declared the LTTE a terrorist outfit after the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1990. His widow, Italian- born Sonia Gandhi is chairwoman of India's ruling coalition.

Meanwhile, questions were being raised about the whereabouts of LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran even as Mullaitivu, the last town under Tiger control on the north-eastern coast, fell to the Sri Lankan army on Sunday.

Army Commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka said the rebels were now restricted to an area of 300 square kilometers on the western side of Mullaitivu town and troops were continuing their operations aimed at ending the war "shortly."

Tamil rebels have been fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils in the north and eastern parts of the country for the last 26 years. The insurgency has claimed more than 76,000 lives and displaced tens of thousands of people. (dpa)