12 February 2004	Thursday	20 Zilhaj 1424

COLOMBO, Feb 11: Sri Lanka's president sacked junior ministers in a deepening political crisis on Wednesday, but named a new panel to review a truce with Tamil Tiger rebels amid fears the country could slip back to war.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga sent letters informing 39 non-cabinet rank ministers of their formal removal following Saturday's dissolution of parliament, her office said in a statement.

The move sparked retaliation from a full minister in Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's cabinet, Milinda Moragoda, who threatened to quit. Mr Moragoda, who is also a negotiator in talks with Tiger rebels, asked the premier to take "appropriate action" to relieve him of his cabinet post, but under the constitution the prime minister has no power to remove ministers.

Tiger rebels had warned that the political crisis and the snap polls Kumaratunga called for April 2 were a "grave setback" for the Norwegian-led peace process as well as the ceasefire arranged by Oslo.

Chandrika Kumaratunga met the head of the truce monitoring panel, Trond Furuhovde, on Wednesday and asked for a panel to be established to review the ceasefire agreed by the prime minister and the Tigers in February 2002.

The president wanted defence secretary Cyril Herath and commanders of the army, navy and the airforce to be included in the proposed panel. There was no mention of including Tamil Tigers.

Ms Kumaratunga, who had earlier described the ceasefire agreement signed by her arch political rival Wickremesinghe as an "invalid document," Wednesday told Furuhovde she would uphold the truce.

"President Kumaratunga expressed... her commitment to the implementation of the ceasefire agreement," her office said in a statement. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said Kumaratunga's move against the government of Wickremesinghe, who had been pursuing peace negotiations, could further delay the opening of direct talks.

In her latest action against the government, she ordered the recall of state vehicles that had been issued to the 39 junior ministers and their support staff, who were also sacked in the unprecedented move.

It is the first time under Sri Lanka's 1978 constitution that a president has sought the removal of non-cabinet ministers along with their staff, officials said.

They noted that when Kumaratunga dissolved the previous government run by her own party in October 2001, she did not seek to remove any ministers. The snap election that was held two months later in December 2001 saw her party defeated by Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP).

The two leaders are again gearing up for elections called nearly four years ahead of schedule.

Wickremesinghe has accused Kumaratunga of abusing the constitution for political gain while the president maintains her actions are in the national interest.

Kumaratunga called the snap elections for April 2 after a three-month power struggle with Wickremesinghe over his handling of the country's peace process with the Tamil Tigers.

The World Bank warned Wednesday that the political crisis could hold up the release of 176 million dollars in credits to Sri Lanka and its economy was headed for a serious slow down.

The bank's country director here, Peter Harrold, said it was concerned about the fall out of the political crisis on the peace process, on economic reform, and on the climate for investment. -AFP