Colombo, Nov 21: President Chandrika Kumaratunga today announced that she was setting a Dec 15 deadline to resolve a standoff with the nation's Prime Minister that threatens efforts to end the country's 20-year civil war. Kumaratunga moved earlier this month to curtail Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's power, taking control of three top ministries and suspending parliament after accusing the premier of granting too many concessions to the Tamil Tiger rebels. Today's announcement comes a day after Wickremesinghe's government said it was willing to give Kumaratunga a broader role in the negotiations to find a lasting resolution to the civil war. The two leaders so far have held two meetings to resolve their political dispute.


"The president says she is willing to forget the past and start anew, but she wants the talks to find a solution by Dec 15," Kumaratunga's spokesman, Sarath Amunugama, told reporters.

Amunugama declined to say what steps Kumaratunga would take if a resolution to the crisis is not reached by the deadline.

Wickremesinghe runs the day-to-day affairs of government, but Kumaratunga controls the military and has the power to sack the government and call new elections.

Norwegian-mediated talks to end the civil war have been suspended since April, and the current political turmoil has stalled efforts to coax the rebels back to the bargaining table.

Bureau Report