COLOMBO, Feb. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has proposed direct dialogue with the Tamil Tiger rebels to ensure the smooth continuation of the ongoing ceasefire agreement amid current political crisis in the country, the SundayTimes said.

    The paper said that the Defense Secretary Cyril Herath has senta letter to Prabagan, head of the Peace Secretariat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels in which he has assuaged the rebels fears about the future of the ceasefire agreement.

    The report said that the move made by the defense secretary waspart of many overtures by President Kumaratunga to pave way for the LTTE rebels to have direct talks with her.

    The president wrested control of three key ministries includingthe defense from her arch political rival Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Nov. 4 last year and the power struggle between the two feuding leaders remain unresolved despite efforts by both sides to try to reach a compromise.

    Kumaratunga has asked Wickremesinghe to continue peace talks with the LTTE rebels but the prime minister has refused to do so because he said he cannot take forward the peace process without full control of the defense ministry.

    Shortly after he took power following the victory in the December 2001 parliamentary elections, Wickremesinghe restarted the peace process with the LTTE rebels by signing a ceasefire agreement with them in February 2002.

    Seven months later both sides commenced direct peace talks until April last year when the LTTE rebels walked out with six rounds held. Enditem