COLOMBO, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka may outlaw the Tamil Tigers if the rebels continue to mount large scale attacks, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Monday, a move that would put any hope of renewed peace talks even further out of reach.

"One or two more attacks, we have no option," Rajapaksa told reporters after hosting a gala of Christmas song and dance in the capital Colombo. "(We will) have to ban."

"There is a limit to our patience," he added.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have been outlawed as a terrorist group by a host of nations, including the United States, Britain and the European Union. But a ban by the Sri Lankan state would further polarise the foes as the death toll from renewed civil war climbs inexorably. (Reporting by Simon Gardner; Editing by Stephen Weeks)

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