Bhutto postpones Sri Lanka visit

Bhutto postpones Sri Lanka visit

COLOMBO (AFP): A proposed visit here by Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been postponed following the escalation of fighting between Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tiger separatists, officials said yesterday.

"We were hoping for an early visit although no firm dates had been finalized. But under the current situation both sides felt it was not the right time," Sri Lanka's Foreign Secretary Rodney Vandergert said.

Both governments were hoping to organize a three-day visit in early August. It was to be the first high-level visit here from Islamabad since President Chandrika Kumaratunga came to power in August.

Pakistan has been a key supplier of small arms to Sri Lankan security forces currently battling Tamil Tiger guerrillas and also provides training for Sri Lankan security personnel.