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Chandrika, Ranil to meet this week

By V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO Aug. 11. The Sri Lankan President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, and the Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, are scheduled to meet later this week in what is seen as an effort to sort out issues that have been simmering on the political boiler for the past few months.

Confirming media reports, a senior Sri Lankan leader told The Hindu that the meeting between the two leaders would be in addition to the routine weekly Cabinet meetings and would aim at easing the areas of tension between the two key political offices. No date has, however, been mentioned for the meeting.

Several issues have occupied the political agenda, but two issues are of concern: dissolution of Parliament and general elections. The ruling party would like to have an assurance from the President that she would not dissolve Parliament after December 5. Under the Constitution, the President cannot dissolve Parliament for a year after it is elected. With the December 5 deadline approaching, there have been various postures adopted to exert pressure on Ms. Kumaratunga. Of late, the UNP-led Government has also said that it would recommend dissolution of Parliament and call another election, if the President does not rescind her power to dissolve it.

According to the Sunday Times, the Prime Minister is "likely to suggest that a Constitutional amendment be introduced to extend the period that bars a President from dissolving Parliament after the last general elections from one year to a possible three or four years, unless the ruling party loses its majority in Parliament or the party or coalition with the majority calls upon the President to dissolve Parliament''.

Ms. Kumaratunga, in her address to the nation on August 9, said she was not in favour of `piecemeal' amendments. "Ad-hoc amendments'' she had said, "according to the whims and fancies of someone, could prove dangerous to democracy.''

Ms. Kumaratunga, who was voted President first in 1994 and for a second term in 1999, has promised to replace the present Constitution with one that provides greater devolution powers to the regions to resolve the decades-long ethnic conflict. The Draft constitution, prepared by the earlier PA Government, could not be passed due to political opposition in August 2000.

However, there has been an over-arching consensus between the two parties on a range of issues, including the sensitive one of the structure of the state.

More than anything else, the upcoming meeting between the two important political players in Sri Lanka, President Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, will be watched for their views on issues relating to amending the Constitution.

As the meeting is scheduled to take place at a time when there are continued expectations of a start of direct talks between the Government and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the forging of a common platform by the two main parties assumes greater significance.

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