Panel to fix crisis in Sri Lanka

The president and prime minister are at odds

Sri Lanka's president and prime minister have set up a panel to help solve the country's political crisis.

The officials will try to resolve differences between the leaders, who are locked in a power struggle.

But the BBC's Colombo correspondent says few expect the new panel to ease the deadlock caused by the president's sacking of three ministers 14 days ago.

Her action has threatened to derail peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels, aimed at ending decades of conflict.

Power struggle

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe met the president for 90 minutes - the second such meeting in a week.

"A committee of officials was appointed to work out the details of future working arrangements under which the president and the prime minister could work together on these important national issues," a statement said after the meeting.

Earlier this month, Mrs Kumaratunga sacked the country's defence, interior and media ministers, accusing the prime minister of conceding too much to the rebels.

Her action in effect stripped the government of control over the Sri Lankan armed forces and police.

'No fresh elections'

President Kumaratunga also used her constitutional powers to dissolve parliament for two weeks.

That two week period expires on Tuesday night and parliament is due to reconvene on Wednesday.

Officials on both sides of the political divide say the president has given her assurance she will not dissolve parliament again and call fresh elections.

Mr Wickramasinghe wants to create a consensus in the south on how to handle the rebels in the north, rather than work on a national government.

The president has proposed "a government of National Reconstruction and Reconciliation to take forward the peace process with a strong degree of consensus", her office said in a statement.

In a related development, a Norwegian envoy, Erik Solheim, has been in Delhi briefing the Indian Government on the crisis.

Oslo has played a key part in brokering talks between the government and rebels, but now says its role in the peace process is on hold until the president and prime minister resolve their power struggle.

Concern

Last week, Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen and Mr Solheim met Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in the rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi in the north-east.

There is considerable concern among the international community about the future of the peace process.

There are also fears about the fate of $4.5bn worth of international aid pledged for reconstruction which is tied to progress in the talks.

The talks have been suspended since April, when the rebels pulled out, claiming they were being sidelined.

Since last week's crisis erupted, neither side has talked of breaking the ceasefire.

More than 60,000 people have died in violence in Sri Lanka since the Tigers launched their fight for a homeland for minority Tamils in the island's north and east in 1983.