New York  - The United Nations Security Council met Wednesday to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka, where more than 100,000 refugees have fled rebel-held areas.

The informal meeting was requested by France, the country's UN Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert told reporters. He said he had no doubt that the 15-nation Security Council will arrive at a consensus to call for a truce or a ceasefire.

Sri Lankan government troops have tightened their cordon around the rebels' last major stronghold in the north-eastern region, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.

The military says it is in the final phase of a campaign to crush the LTTE, which has been fighting for more than 25 years for a separate state for the Tamil ethnic minority in the northern and eastern parts of majority-Sinhalese Sri Lanka. (dpa)