Lankan peace process at risk: Wickremesinghe

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday warned the peace process with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was at risk due to the political crisis sparked off by President Chandrika Kumaratunga's decision to suspend parliament.

"The background in which the peace process started has changed and this puts the peace process at risk," Wickremesinghe said on return from a trip to Washington.

He also vowed to reopen Parliament. "I will see that parliament is re-summoned immediately to continue the peace process," he said. "Parliament is the focal point of the peace process and with the parliament closed we cannot take the peace process forward."

Meanwhile, government chief whip Mahinda Samarasinghe told a news agency his party has asked the parliamentary speaker to convene a meeting Friday of all party leaders to examine the possibility of defying the president.

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Kumaratunga sacked three ministers and suspended parliament on Tuesday resulting in political turmoil. A day later she declared a state of emergency and a takeover of the state-run media.

Meanwhile, there was speculation that Kumaratunga might withdraw the emergency after she reportedly asked government chief printer Neville Nanayakkara not to the release the gazetted notification.

"There is no state of emergency," Nanayakkara was quoted as saying by a news agency.

Sri Lanka had been ruled under an emergency during the height of the 30-year Tamil separatist conflict, which has claimed more than 60,000 lives.

Agencies