The opposition leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, says he has set out preconditions for the general to be acceptable as a candidate.

BBC: Trouble at the top in Sri Lanka?

He also met the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgama and the leader of the opposition United National Party (UNP), Ranil Wickremesinghe.

BBC: News Online

But managing the peace process has pitted the president, who is also leader of the parliamentary opposition, against Ranil Wickremesinghe, the prime minister.

ECONOMIST: Playing with the peace process