OSLO, Aug 13 (Reuters) - The chief negotiator of Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels said he was hopeful that meetings in Oslo on Wednesday could help pave the way to peace talks on one of Asia’s longest running conflicts.

Norway brokered a ceasefire in February between the Sri Lankan government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, fighting since 1983 for a separate minority Tamil state in the island’s north and east.

Direct peace negotiations were originally planned for May in Thailand, but have been delayed by haggling over the agenda and allegations of truce breaches by both sides.

"We’re trying to work out a stable and permanent ceasefire to create a situation of normalcy," Tiger spokesman Anton Balasingham told a news conference on Tuesday.

"We hope to go to Thailand," he said.

Balasingham meets Sri Lankan Economic Reforms Minister Milinda Moragoda and Peace Secretariat chief Bernard Gunatilake in Oslo on Wednesday.

He will also hold talks with Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen, who helped broker the truce which has remained largely intact, raising hopes that talks could start as early as next month.

Balasingham said he would "discuss important issues mainly to do with resettlement of displaced persons".

In Colombo, a Sri Lankan official at the Peace Secretariat, the government body handling the peace bid, said Moragoda and Gunatilake were likely to return home at the end of the week.

"They are going to continue discussions with Mr. Balasingham on the peace process, which will include all relevant issues ahead of talks in Thailand," the official said.

The official declined to give further details about the meeting, Moragoda’s second with Balasingham in the past month.