COLOMBO, Jan 14: Sri Lanka’s cohabitation crisis worsened on Tuesday with President Chandrika Kumaratunga issuing a thinly veiled threat to sack her Prime Minister over the handling of the Norwegian-backed peace talks with Tamil rebels.

Kumaratunga, in a live television phone-in interview, accused Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of pursuing a peace bid with Tamil Tiger guerrillas without keeping her informed.

“I can sack the Prime Minister by issuing just one letter,” Kumaratunga said. “He and his entire cabinet will have to go if I do that and I know the entire world will support my decision.”

Asked if she will exercise her unfettered constitutional power to dismiss the government without offering any reason, Kumaratunga said. “I will not hesitate to do that if he continues to jeopardise national security.”

“I will not sack him for personal gains. But I will do it in the national interest.”

“If a doctor is not treating the patient well and is trying to kill the patient, isn’t it the duty of the doctor’s boss to sack him. That is the question that I ask myself.”

Kumaratunga’s hard-hitting remarks came 11 days after Wickremesinghe publicly warned her against antagonising the island’s peace broker Norway and undermining attempts to end three decades of ethnic bloodshed.

Wickremesinghe issued his first public warning to President Kumaratunga since he came to power in Dec 2001 after defeating the President’s party at parliamentary elections.

President Kumaratunga accused the government of working behind her back.

“He is acting as an executive Prime Minister. The constitution does not give him any special powers. He is like only another minister.

“But he is able to go about as if he is an executive Prime Minister because I have with modesty and humility not tried to exercise all my powers. I am only being patient.

Kumaratunga said even if she dismissed Wickremesinghe she would not face any international backlash. She claimed that the international community was backing her.

However, diplomats have spoken of loaded hints by foreign governments urging Kumaratunga not to rock the boat and jeopardise the Norwegian-backed peace bid aimed at ending three decades of ethnic conflict.

TAMIL REFUGEES: A Sri Lankan minister on Tuesday began talks with Tamil Tiger rebels on resettling thousands who had fled fighting between troops and guerrillas and sought refuge abroad, officials said.