COLOMBO, Nov 21: Sri Lanka’s new leader swore in a hawkish prime minister on Monday in a move that reinforced fears the government would take a hard line in any future peace negotiations with Tamil Tiger rebels. Former deputy defence minister and one-time prime minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, a fervent Sinhalese nationalist, was reappointed to the premiership by newly-elected President Mahinda Rajapakse.

“The appointment of Wickremanayake sends a message that President Rajapakse intends to take a hardline stance on the peace process,” said Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, director of the Colombo-based think-tank Centre for Policy Alternatives.

“The appointment of Wickremanayake could have implications for the peace process, but we have to wait and see,” he added.

Rajapakse, who has allied himself to hardline Marxists and nationalists strongly opposed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels, is expected to announce the make-up of the rest of his new cabinet on Tuesday.

Presidential aides said Rajapakse was likely to suspend meetings of parliament until Friday, when he is due to make a keynote address to open a new parliamentary session.

Rajapakse, who was prime minister, campaigned for the presidency on pledges of ruling out widespread devolution for minority Tamils and has rejected outright the LTTE’s demands for an ethnic homeland — angering the rebels.—Reuters