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DATE=11/24/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=SRI LANKA OPPOSITION (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-256499
BYLINE=VANDANA CHOPRA
DATELINE=COLOMBO
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Sri Lanka's opposition leader, and President 
Chandrika Kumaratunga's
main rival in next month's presidential elections, 
Ranil Wickremesinghe, has denied government 
allegations of conniving with the Tamil Tiger rebels. 
Vandana Chopra has the details from Colombo. 
TEXT: The leader of Sri Lanka's main opposition, 
United National Party or U-N-P, Ranil Wickremesinghe, 
says his party has no plans to hand over the country's 
north to the Tiger rebel group.
Sri Lanka's President, Chandrika Kumaratunga had 
accused Mr. Wickremesinghe of sending representatives 
to the northern jungles to hold secret talks with the 
Tiger rebels who have been waging a war for a separate 
homeland since 1983.
Addressing a press conference, Mr Wickeremasinghe 
said, by levying such accusations, the government was 
trying to hide its failures on the war front.
The allegations involved a report on the website, 
Tamilnet, quoting Ranil Wickremasinghe as saying he 
would hand over the administration of the north and 
east of Sri Lanka to the rebel group for two years if 
his party won next month's elections.
President Kumaratunga told an election rally, Tuesday, 
that a government probe into the recent military 
debacles in the country's North revealed that some 
officers had conspired with the main opposition party 
to leave their posts.
The Tiger rebel group recently took control of vast 
stretches of land in Northern Sri Lanka, with the Sri 
Lankan military suffering its worst defeat in 16 
years.
The United National party was thrown out of power in 
1994 by President Chandrika Kumaratunga's, People's 
Alliance after governing the country for
17 years.
Although 13 candidates are competing in the December 
21st election, the main fight is between Ranil 
Wickremasinghe and President Kumaratunga.
Last month, President Kumaratunga called for the 
elections nearly a year early saying she needs voters 
to give her a renewed mandate to end the country's 16-
year civil war.
However, her re-election chances now have been clouded 
by the recent military defeats at the hands of the 
Tiger rebels and the aggressive campaigning of the 
main opposition party. (Signed)
NEB/VC/PLM
TEXT:
NEB/WTW/ 
24-Nov-1999 05:49 AM EDT (24-Nov-1999 1049 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.