Sri Lanka Accuses Britain of Meddling in Internal Affairs

Sri Lanka has accused Britain of meddling in its internal affairs and warned of repercussions for diplomatic relations, after Gordon Brown appointed a special envoy to the country just as the army is on the brink of crushing the Tamil Tiger rebels.

The diplomatic row between Colombo and London erupted as tens of thousands of civilians were believed to be trapped between the two sides in northern Sri Lanka, with the International Committee of the Red Cross saying hundreds have died.

The foreign minister, Rohitha Bogollagama, vented his anger after the former British defence secretary, Des Browne, was appointed as a special envoy. He said Browne would not be welcome.

"It is tantamount to an intrusion into Sri Lanka's internal affairs and is disrespectful to the country's statehood," the minister told AFP, warning that "there could be major repercussions" for relations with Britain.

London's move was "extremely unhelpful", he said. He did not say what Sri Lanka, a former British colony, could do to retaliate.

"There is no further discussion with London on the matter," Bogollagama said, after the Foreign Office said talks were continuing to resolve the dispute.

The British foreign secretary, David Miliband, sought to defuse the row today, phoning Bogollagama to explain that the appointment of Browne as an envoy had been agreed with Sri Lanka's president, Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Following that conversation, the Foreign Office said that Miliband had explained why Britain was proposing a special envoy and that this was "not a unilateral decision". Gordon Brown originally raised the idea with the Sri Lankan president in a letter sent on 20 January.

The Foreign Office said Miliband would "continue the consultations started by the prime minister" in a further conversation with Bogollagama on Monday.

Downing Street said that the appointment of Browne had also been discussed directly with the Sri Lankans by Britain's high commissioner to the country and by the foreign secretary, before it was announced publicly yesterday.

Asked if Browne was still an envoy to Sri Lanka, a spokesman for the prime minister said: "The president indicated approval of the appointment. We are proceeding on that basis."

Britain is home to an estimated quarter of a million Tamils, although not all hail from Sri Lanka. Last month 100,000 people gathered in London for a rally against the Sri Lankan government's actions in the north of the country.

Robert Evans, a Labour MEP who chairs the European parliament delegation for relations with south Asia, said there was enough "evidence" to demand that a UN peacekeeping mission be allowed into the country.

"All the evidence suggests that about a quarter of a million people are not just stuck in limbo, but could be caught in a ghastly bloodbath," said Evans.

Sri Lanka rejected claims of high casualty numbers and announced a "safe zone" for civilians caught up in the fighting. The Colombo government has repeatedly said it is on the verge of finishing off the rebels ? and has resisted international calls to halt its offensive against the Tigers, who want to create an independent Tamil homeland.

Yesterday the Sri Lankan foreign ministry emailed an Associated Press report to journalists saying that the Tigers had fired on innocent civilians to prevent them from leaving rebel territory.

The report featured interviews with residents of Vishwamadu village in northern Sri Lanka, who said they had asked to be allowed to cross into government territory last week, but the Tigers had blocked their path and fired upon them indiscriminately.

"People were helpless," 53-year-old Mahendran told the Associated Press in a rare firsthand account, recalling the panicked exodus.