Senior UN official meets Lankan Speaker amid political turmoil

A senior UN official Tuesday met Speaker of Sri Lanka's parliament Karu Jayasuriya to convey UN chief Antonio Guterres' message for the need to respect democratic values and constitutional provisions in the country, amid ongoing political crisis.

Spokesman for the Secretary General Stephane Dujarric told reporters here on Monday that Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka Hanaa Singer had met Jayasuriya.

Dujarric said Singer stressed on the Secretary-General's "message for the need to respect democratic values and constitutional provisions and process, uphold the rule of law and ensure the safety and security of all Sri Lankans".

Sri Lanka, a Buddhist-majority nation in the Indian Ocean, was plunged into chaos on Friday when President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister in a surprise move.

He also suspended Parliament in an apparent bid to shore up support for newly-appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Sirisena is under increasing political and diplomatic pressure to reconvene Parliament and resolve the Constitutional crisis.

Guterres has said he was following Sri Lanka's deepening political crisis with "great concern" and called on the nation's government to respect democratic values and constitutional process.

"The Secretary-General is following the latest developments in Sri Lanka with great concern. He calls on the Government to respect democratic values and constitutional provisions and process, uphold the rule of law and ensure the safety and security of all Sri Lankans," Dujarric had said in a statement on Sunday.

The Secretary-General has urged all parties to exercise restraint and address the unfolding situation in a peaceful manner.

Wickramasinghe is refusing to accept his dismissal, and is appealing for support among MPs, arguing that he still commands a parliamentary majority.

Wickremesinghe argues he cannot legally be dismissed until he loses the support of Parliament.

In a Facebook post on Monday Wickremesinghe claimed that he had obtained the signatures of 126 MPs calling for Parliament to be reconvened immediately to end the political standoff.