Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga Wednesday resigned from her ruling alliance leadership "due to pressure to work", the president's office said in a statement.

"President Chandrika Kumaratunga today resigned from the post of leader of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), due to pressure of work," the statement said.

"The Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the main constituent party in the ruling alliance will decide upon a person to fill the vacancy," the statement said.

Kumaratunga's resignation from the UPFA leadership came after the latest Norwegian facilitators' efforts to revive the stalled peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels failed last week.

The president tried to restart the peace talks with the LTTE rebels since her UPFA government came to power after winning the April 2 parliamentary elections.

The peace talks between the rebels and the government have been on hold since April last year as both sides cannot agree on a basis for the talks. The peace talks were further delayed by the LTTE insistence on their proposals for an Interim Self-Governing

Authority (ISGA) and their accusation against the government of providing protection to renegade rebel eastern commander known as "Karuna".

President Kumaratunga told visiting Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen that her government was willing to restart peace talk with the LTTE rebels on their ISGA proposals to reach a durable solution to the country's two decades of ethnic conflict.

The president's efforts to revive peace talks based on the LTTE demand have met strong opposition from the main coalition partner of her government.

The leftist JVP or People's Liberation Front vehemently opposes the ISGA, claiming that it would lead to a division of the country.

Source: Xinhua