Skip to main content /WORLD
CNN.com /WORLD
CNN TV
EDITIONS


Sri Lanka balance favors Tamil rebels

President Kumaratunga and Hakeem in friendlier times
President Kumaratunga and Hakeem in friendlier times  


COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Sri Lanka's new political kingmaker is dangling his party's make-or-break votes to pressure President Chandrika Kumaratunga to resume peace talks with Tamil separatists.

Rauf Hakeem, whose Sri Lanka Muslim Congress had just withdrawn support for Kumaratunga's ruling People's Alliance, said on Thursday he was still deciding whether to support a no-confidence vote against the president in July.

Hakeem and six lawmakers joined the opposition on Wednesday, the same day he was sacked as transportation minister.

"It will be a party decision, but we are not thinking of any knee-jerk reaction to the current situation," Hakeem said.

He added that his party's votes would be cast on a "case-by-case basis."

Since the ruling party does not have majority control of parliament, Hakeem holds the balance of power.

The ruling alliance can only muster 109 votes in the 225-member parliament, together with a smaller Tamil party and four Muslim Congress lawmakers who did not defect.

The main opposition United National Party (UNP) plans to move the vote of no-confidence next month and has been working behind the scenes to drum up support for the motion.

Hakeem denied his party had signed a pact with the UNP.

"The discussions with the UNP will begin at this stage," he said.

The opposition is also planning to impeach Supreme Court's chief justice, Sarath Silva, accusing him of political bias and obstruction of justice.

Deadlocked peace process

Hakeem said a weaker government was good for a Norwegian-brokered bid to end an 18-year ethnic war with rebels fighting for a separate state for the Tamil minority.

The government and rebels are haggling over conditions for peace talks, stalling formal negotiations.

"It will push things forward, forcing the government to listen to minority parties and stop pandering to the hardliners," Hakeem said. He accused Kumaratunga's government of "changing its stripes" and blowing hot and cold on minorities and peace talks with Tamil guerrillas.

Political analysts said Kumaratunga had the option of suspending parliament for two months, but under the consitution cannot dissolve it until after October 10.

Political gripes

Soon after the parliamentary polls in October last year, Hakeem made a deal with the government in exchange for his party's support.

The deal was for government to put the police, public service and elections under independent administration within 100 days.

Hakeem later backtracked on the ultimatum, a decision he said he "deeply regretted."

Reuters contributed to this report.





RELATED STORY:
RELATED SITE:
• Sri Lanka government

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.


 Search   

Back to the top