COLOMBO, Sept 12: Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Thursday accused her government of being the world’s most irresponsible as it moved to enter into crucial Norwegian-backed peace talks with Tamil rebels.

Kumaratunga lambasted her arch rival, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and accused him of boycotting security council meetings and ignoring her orders to check the activities of Tamil Tiger guerrillas.

“I cannot think of any responsible government anywhere in the world that would have acted in this manner in the name of peace, with regard to one of the world’s most ruthless, armed terrorist organisations which has not yet even agreed to give up terrorism...,” Kumaratunga said in a letter released by her office.

She accused the government of taking a softer line towards the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from early this year despite violations by the rebels of a Norwegian-arranged truce.

Kumaratunga ordered the prime minister to ensure that the issue of truce violations be taken up with the LTTE during peace talks to be opened in Thailand on Monday.

“I decided that it was a suitable moment to convey these instructions to you in writing as the first round of talks are scheduled to begin in a few days in Thailand,” the president said.

Her office released the two-page letter with a two-page list of alleged truce violations by the Tiger rebels since the ceasefire went into effect from Feb 23.

The president has been opposed to the government’s handling of the peace process even though she invited Norway in January 1997 to help bring the Tiger rebels to the negotiating table.

Kumaratunga has been on a collision course with the government, which is from a rival party and has been moving to reduce her executive powers to sack parliament.

In a letter to the cabinet two days ago, Kumaratunga said she was opposed to the constitutional amendment to take away her powers proposed by parliament.

Political sources said her letter Tuesday was in sharp contrast to the conciliatory stance she had taken during a two-hour closed-door meeting with Wickremesinghe a week ago when a compromise was struck.

Under the constitution, Kumaratunga has the executive power to dissolve parliament after a newly elected government completes one year of its six-year term.

Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) wants to take away Kumaratunga’s power to sack the present parliament any time after December 5, saying it has a destabilising effect on the country and the ongoing bid for peace with the Tamil Tiger rebels.—AFP