An attempt by the Sri Lankan government to share power with the main opposition United National Party (UNP) had failed, a press report said Sunday.

The failure came after the government of the President Chandrika Kumaratunga was reduced to a parliamentary minority last week with the exit of the main ally the JVP or the People's Liberation Front.

Sunday Times in a report Sunday said UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe rejected an offer from the government for his party to share 50 percent of cabinet positions to run a government of consensus.

With the exit of the JVP, the government now has just 81 seats in the 225-member parliament, 32 short of the 113 required for a working majority.

However, the UNP represents the largest single group in the assembly with 88 legislators.

Kumaratunga had held talks with at least three of UNP's senior legislators to seek their support for a government of consensus, prompting the party's political affairs committee to bar any individual members from having talks with the Sri Lankan president other than the leader Wickremesinghe, the paper said.

Kumaratunga's 14 month old regime is facing an uncertain future with the president's unwavering determination to enter a joint deal with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels to deliver tsunami relief assistance to the Tamil regions.

The JVP, having given Kumaratunga a deadline not to go ahead with the deal with the Tigers, walked out of the government when she failed to pay heed to it.

However, Wickremesinghe's UNP is not keen to topple the government and gain parliamentary power as they are focused on thenext presidential election.

Wickremesinghe has run his presidential campaign for a long period of time by touring outer districts while the ruling party's candidate is yet to be named.

Source: Xinhua