Colombo, Nov 11: Hopes of ending Sri Lanka's two-decade ethnic conflict were dealt a major setback today, as the government announced that face-to-face peace talks with the Tamil Tigers rebels have been indefinitely postponed. But President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who is locked in a power struggle with her political rival, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, over the peace process, said she would like to meet him to discuss a proposal to form a unity government together. Also today, responding to questions from the media, the government said it was ready for a snap poll as a means of ending the crisis.

``The government is ready for an election at any time ... This is as good time as any,'' Constitutional Affairs Minister G L Peiris said.
Last week, Kumaratunga sacked three cabinet ministers, suspended parliament, and briefly declared a state of emergency, claiming Wickremesinghe was making too many concessions to the rebels. The move pushed the island nation into a political crisis.
The President's single-page letter to the Prime Minister _ the first direct communication between them since the crisis began _ came shortly after the government announcement of the abeyance in the peace process. Bureau Report