Sri Lanka parties discuss coalition to end crisis

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Sri Lanka's embattled minority government has begun discussing a possible coalition with the main opposition party in a bid to end the country's worst political crisis in a decade.

Sri Lanka was plunged into turmoil in June when a ruling coalition ally crossed the floor of parliament which cannot be dissolved until October 10, one year after it was elected.

The country has since stumbled from one crisis to another with an escalating ethnic war claiming lives every day and putting the skids under a tottering economy.

The talks began behind closed doors but neither party expressed optimism about ending months of political turmoil that led to a suspension of parliament and brought thousands of demonstrators on to the streets, Reuters reports.

The opposition United National Party (UNP), which has 89 seats in the 225-seat legislature, has not been in a mood to compromise.

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UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe accepted Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake's invitation to talks on Tuesday but said he would insist on tough conditions.

Wickremesinghe has demanded the reconvening of parliament and the cancellation of a widely criticised October 18 referendum on constitutional reforms.

There was pessimism amongst the government ranks as well.

"This is not a marriage that is likely to work out," a senior member of the government delegation who declined to be identified told Reuters.

State radio said the talks, in which the U.S. embassy in Colombo acted as a messenger between the two sides, would finish on August 28.

Kumaratunga, who suspended parliament for two months on July 11 ahead of a no-confidence vote, believes reforms are needed to an electoral system she blames for her party's failure to win a majority.

The opposition accused Kumaratunga of taking the country towards dictatorship and took to the streets, forcing her to postpone the referendum from August to October.

Thursday's demonstrations were peaceful, however, unlike a similar show of dissent on July 19 which police attacked with teargas and live ammunition killing two people and wounding 80.