The LTTE appealed again Tuesday for a halt to fighting in their war against the government, though they denied they were on the brink of defeat despite being backed into an ever-shrinking pocket of land.

The appeal for a cease-fire from S. Pathmanathan, in charge of international diplomatic relations for the rebels, comes as the government says it is close to crushing the insurgents and ending 25 years of civil war.

Pathmanathan was quoted by the pro-rebel TamilNet Web site as saying the international community needed “to apply adequate pressure on the government to enter into a cease-fire with the Tigers.”

The government has said in the past that it would agree to a cease-fire if the rebels laid down their arms first. Pathmanathan called that condition “not realistic.”

The government rejected the rebels’ latest appeal.