Sri Lanka's president will present a proposed tsunami aid sharing deal with Tamil Tiger rebels to Parliament before implementation, state-run media reported on Thursday, as a key coalition partner abandoned the government over the deal.
It was not immediately clear whether President Chandrika Kumaratunga wanted parliamentary approval of the plan before putting it into place.
"President Chandrika Kumaratunga has decided to present the Tsunami Relief Council proposal before Parliament," the Daily News said, adding that the decision was taken after requests by top Buddhist monks and leaders of other political parties.
"The government decided that the Tsunami Relief Council should be implemented and at the same time agreed to submit this to Parliament," the Daily News said.
The news came hours after a Marxist party quit the government and withdrew its 39 lawmakers. The moved reduced the government to a minority, controlling only 81 seats in the 225-member Parliament, forcing the president to rely on other opposition parties to pass legislation.
The Marxists had asked Kumaratunga to back down on the plan to share the disaster aid with the rebels, who have been waging a separatist war for two decades.