December 11, 2001	Tuesday	Ramazan 25, 1422

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COLOMBO, Dec 10: Sri Lanka’s new prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe finalized his cabinet on his first full day in office Monday as the main opposition rejected his offer of power-sharing in a cohabitation government.

Wickremesinghe’s cabinet is likely to be sworn in shortly, probably Tuesday or Wednesday, official sources said, adding that the key defence and finance portfolios have already been decided.

Former attorney general Tilak Marapone was tipped as the new defence minister while senior lawyer K. N. Choksy was likely to be given the finance portfolio, the sources said.

The two crucial positions set to rest speculation that President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who is an arch-rival of Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, wanted to hold on to the vital positions in a future cabinet.

Wickremesinghe, 52, was sworn in Sunday by President Kumaratunga. Kumaratunga’s People’s Alliance (PA), which was relegated to the opposition after it lost Wednesday’s parliamentary election, announced it would not accept Wickremesinghe offer of ministerial jobs.

“We will not oppose for the sake of opposing. We will support the good things that they have promised to do, but we will not accept any portfolios,” PA spokesman Mangala Samaraweera told reporters here.—AFP