Sri Lanka's controversial aid mechanism with the Tamil Tigers is to be presented in the country's legislature, a senior minister said Thursday.

Maithripala Sirisena, the Leader of the House of Parliament and the senior government minister, told parliament that the proposed joint deal with the Tamil Tigers for tsunami relief co-ordination in Tamil regions officially known as the post-Tsunami operational management structure would be subject to an adjournment motion in the House on Friday.

The Chief Government Whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle said all details on the deal would be revealed to the House.

They were responding to a question raised by the leader of JVP's parliamentary group Wimal Weerawansa who asked the government if the parliamentary presentation is a result of the government already signing the deal or whether it would be signed on Friday while the debate would be progressing.

But there was no clear answer from the government, parliamentary sources said.

The deal has caused massive political controversy as the President Chandrika Kumaratunga's move met with stiff opposition from the influential Buddhist clergy.

Her main coalition ally the JVP left the government reducing it to a parliamentary minority.

Kumaratunga maintained the plan was only a minor administrative set up which would not confer legality to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels as alleged by the critics of her plan.

She treats the move as one which would enable her to kick start the stalled peace negotiations with the LTTE.

Almost a two third of Sri Lanka's coastal line was destroyed by the Dec. 26 tsunamis last year.

The mechanism is being mooted for the equitable distribution of international pledges worth 3 billion US dollars towards the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the affected areas.

Source: Xinhua