Colombo, Dec 18: Sri Lanka is set for a prolonged period of uncertainty as President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have failed to agree on who should control the military, a senior official said today. Both sides agreed, however, to keep up negotiations through senior officials to break the deadlock, but no resumption of talks was likely till early next year, government spokesman and negotiator G L Peiris said. The dispute between the two leaders has also seriously undermined the fragile peace process with the LTTE and there was no agreement on re-starting it, he said. "They have made progress on having a consensus on the economy, good governance and things like that but on the key issue of defence, there is no agreement," Peiris told reporters here.
A four-member committee appointed by the two leaders had what was to be their last meeting Monday without a breakthrough. They later agreed to extended indefinitely their deadline.

He said the major local government elections in Sri Lanka early next year could endanger the fragile peace process with Tamil Tiger rebels.

The provincial council elections should start by early March and campaign could lead to attacks on the peace process and undermine the ceasefire between government forces and Tamil Tigers, Peiris said.
The dispute between the two leaders has seriously undermined a Norwegian-backed process to end a decades-long conflict with Tamil rebels and there was no agreement on re-starting the peace initiative, Peiris said.

Bureau Report