Sri Lanka's main opposition, which holds the balance of power in parliament, pressed the government on Sunday to salvage stalled talks with Tamil Tiger separatists.
The opposition United National Party (UNP) said the way forward to end the deadlock in the Norwegian-backed peace process was to start direct negotiations.
The UNP turned down a request by President Chandrika Kumaratunga to join a "National Advisory Council," saying such a consultative body would be useful only after Colombo and the Tigers made progress towards a final deal.
"I would urge your excellency to commence talks with the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)," UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said in a letter to Kumaratunga, a copy of which was released to news agencies Sunday.
"When the discussions get underway and substantive issues arise, the establishment of a National Advisory Council for peace and reconciliation will be timely and productive and my party will be eager to participate vigorously in the deliberations of the proposed council at that time."
Kumaratunga had proposed the council to seek opinion from all political parties on conducting talks with the Tigers.
She dismissed the government of Wickremesinghe in February after accusing him of making too many concessions to the Tigers and her Marxist-backed party went on to narrowly win snap elections held in April.
Any settlement with the Tigers would need the rewriting of the constitution, a move that needs two-thirds backing in the legislature. Kumaratunga's party would have to depend on opposition support to achieve it.
However, her administration has failed to open talks with the Tigers. Negotiations have been suspended since April 2003 when the Tigers pulled out. Diplomatic efforts since then to revive the process remain inconclusive.
Kumaratunga told the UN General Assembly last week the Tigers were refusing to resume negotiations aimed at ending three decades of ethnic bloodshed that has claimed over 60,000 lives.
The Tigers and government forces have been observing a truce since February 2002. But Kumaratunga has accused the Tigers of attacking rivals and killing more than 250 people despite the cease-fire.
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