Sri Lanka in turmoil as parliament dissolved<\/p>\n
Agencies, Colombo<\/p>\n
Sri Lanka's fragile peace bid and reconstruction from war were
\nplunged into uncertainty on Sunday after the president sacked
\nparliament and called elections nearly four years ahead of
\nschedule.<\/p>\n
President Chandrika Kumaratunga dissolved the legislature and
\nset April 2 polls on Saturday after months of wrangling with the
\nprime minister over how to end ethnic strife that has claimed
\nover 60,000 lives since 1972.<\/p>\n
Her calling of the third parliamentary election since 2000
\ncame despite international pressure on her to compromise with
\nPrime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.<\/p>\n
The two are from different parties and were elected separately
\nin bloody campaigns that have become a trademark of Sri Lankan
\nelections.<\/p>\n
Wickremesinghe's party on Sunday asked elections chief
\nDayananda Dissanayake to invite foreign poll observers in a bid
\nto minimize violence.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, analysts and politicians said on Sunday snap
\nelections called for April 2 in Sri Lanka are a threat to the
\npeace process between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels.<\/p>\n
A two-year old cease-fire is expected to hold, but the future
\nof peace talks is now unclear.<\/p>\n
\"The elections will not provide an answer, no matter who
\nwins,\" Jehan Perera, media director the non-partisan National
\nPeace Council, told Reuters.<\/p>\n
He added that if Kumaratunga's People's Alliance won the poll,
\npeace talks would be difficult because of her pact with the
\nultra-nationalist People's Liberation Front (JVP), which is
\nopposed to any concessions to the rebels.<\/p>\n
\"The alliance has not agreed on its own policy toward the
\npeace process,\" Perera said.<\/p>\n
No opinion polls have been published but analysts and
\nnewspapers said the vote would be close and the president's
\nalliance has momentum going into the race.<\/p>\n
If Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) wins, he would
\nstill have to deal with an all-powerful president who suspects he
\nis willing to compromise security in order to make peace with the
\nLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.<\/p>\n
The left-leaning Kumaratunga and the pro-business
\nWickremesinghe are bitter rivals. The president, who has survived
\na rebel suicide attack, takes a harder line on the Tigers and
\nopposes Wickremesinghe's privatization policies.<\/p>\n
Diplomats said the new instability could hold up US$4.5
\nbillion pledged to rebuild the island, as donors linked the money
\nto progress in the peace process.<\/p>\n
Tamil legislators said the crisis may not be resolved even
\nafter the election.<\/p>\n
\"We can expect a lot of turmoil,\" Tamil MP Dharmalingam
\nSidhathan said.<\/p>\n
\"Even if the present UNP (United National Party government of
\nWickremesinghe) comes back to power, they will still have the
\nsame president and we will be back to square one.\"<\/p>\n
He said if Kumaratunga's party won the legislature, it would
\nhave to contend with serious differences with its new leftist
\nally, the JVP, or People's Liberation Front, which opposes
\nautonomy for the Tamil minority.<\/p>",
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