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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Sri Lanka military chief resigns | Sri Lanka military chief resigns |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Sri Lanka's armed forces chief Gen Sarath Fonseka has resigned from his post just months after helping secure the defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels. | |
| Gen Fonseka is reportedly considering challenging President Mahinda Rajapaksa in an election to be held before April. He is due to make a speech shortly. | Gen Fonseka is reportedly considering challenging President Mahinda Rajapaksa in an election to be held before April. He is due to make a speech shortly. |
| The resignation was swiftly accepted by the president, a political source told the BBC on condition of anonymity. | The resignation was swiftly accepted by the president, a political source told the BBC on condition of anonymity. |
| Speculation of a rift between the two men has been rife in recent months. | Speculation of a rift between the two men has been rife in recent months. |
| The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says the general has been in talks with Sri Lanka's opposition coalition about the possibility of his running for president against Mr Rajapaksa. | The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says the general has been in talks with Sri Lanka's opposition coalition about the possibility of his running for president against Mr Rajapaksa. |
| Opposition politicians say that resigning from his post as army chief would clear the way for him to stand as a presidential candidate. | Opposition politicians say that resigning from his post as army chief would clear the way for him to stand as a presidential candidate. |
| But in an interview with BBC Tamil, Gen Fonseka would not be drawn on reports he might enter the presidential race. | But in an interview with BBC Tamil, Gen Fonseka would not be drawn on reports he might enter the presidential race. |
| "I am retiring. That's all I can say at the moment," he said. | "I am retiring. That's all I can say at the moment," he said. |
| Sinhalese nationalist | |
| Two months after leading the army to victory in the civil war, Gen Fonseka was promoted from army chief to armed forces chief, a new position viewed as largely ceremonial. | |
| He was widely reported to be unhappy at this. | He was widely reported to be unhappy at this. |
| He told BBC Tamil that "wiping out the LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]" was the crowning achievement of his 40-year military career. | |
| Correspondents say the general has a reputation as a strong Sinhalese nationalist. | |
| In a Canadian newspaper interview last year he was quoted as saying that "this country belongs to the [majority] Sinhalese" although minorities must also be treated "like our people". | |
| Both the government and Gen Fonseka have denied rumours of differences between him and the civilian leadership. |