Sri Lanka is looking to Pakistan for help to bolster its military capabilities as the cease-fire between the government and rebels appears increasingly fragile, specialist publication Jane's Defence Weekly said on Thursday.
Sri Lanka has asked Pakistan to facilitate the purchase of military equipment worth around 60 million dollars (47 million euros), according to high-level discussions detailed in documents seen by the defence magazine.
Jane's Defence Weekly said Sri Lanka had asked that their requests be treated with the "utmost priority" keeping in view the deteriorating security situation.
The report was published as violence surged on the island, with at least 16 people reported killed, hours before talks opened in Oslo between the Colombo government and Tamil Tiger rebels on ensuring protection for cease-fire monitors.
According to the magazine, the Sri Lankan army's shopping list has a combined value of 20 million dollars, while the air force's requirements are worth a further 38.1 million dollars.
The weekly said that Sri Lanka was looking to build up its military capacity and had also issued a plea to Pakistan to provide swift technical assistance for its T-55 main battle tanks (MBTs) and C-130 transport aircraft.
In a document dated March 1, Sri Lanka wrote: "It would be greatly appreciated if arrangement could be made to invite a technical team to Colombo to carry out an immediate survey of T-55 main battle tanks and C-130 aircraft."
It added "Since a number of MBTs and C-130s are in need of urgent technical repairs it is earnestly requested that this be given utmost priority and a suitable technical repair team be arranged to carry out immediate inspection."
The Sri Lankan army's extensive wish list includes ten Baktar Shikan anti-tank guided missile weapon systems, 300 standard/tandem warheads and two training simulators, respectively worth 1.5 million dollars, 4.5 million dollars and 120,000 dollars. Despite the February 2002 truce between the government and the rebels, an upsurge in violence in Sri Lanka has claimed at least 650 lives since December last year, according to an official count.