Kumaratunga cancels visit to India

Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Friday cancelled her visit to New Delhi.

The cancellation came in the wake of Kumaratunga sacking three senior ministers and suspending parliament on Tuesday in a major showdown with her archrival, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe

Reacting to the political crisis gripping the island nation, India hoped it did not affect the peace process in the island nation.

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Ministry of External Affairs officials told rediff.com the Sri Lankan high commission said she would stay back in Colombo to deal with the 'emerging situation'. Kumaratunga was supposed come to India for four-day private visit.

On Wednesday External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha had hoped Sri Lankan leaders would overcome the crisis through dialogue. "We hope everyone will abide by the Constitution of Sri Lanka and proceed accordingly," he said.

Officials admitted that increasing tension between Kumaratunga and Wickremesinghe had been a matter of concern for them. But even they expressed surprise at the new turn of events with one saying the events 'has overtaken expectations'.

A senior official expressed hope the situation would not 'lead to further anarchy'.

What is worrying India most is the future of peace negotiations between the Sri Lankan government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Lakshman Kadirgamar, Kumaratunga's senior adviser on foreign affairs, was categorical in claiming the 'ceasefire stands and will stand'. "There is no question about it," he said.

Though India was often concerned about the 'soft line' adopted by Wickremesinghe government in dealing with the LTTE, New Delhi has been consistent in saying the peace talks must be carried on.

India has been suggesting the LTTE's counter-proposals should be reasonable and should cause no harm to Sri Lanka's integrity.

There are certain provisions of the LTTE's counter-proposals that Kumaratunga's party, Sri Lankan Freedom Party, is opposed to. It believes the LTTE demand for plenary power in northeast would erode the power of Sri Lankan government.