Colombo: Sri Lanka is considering a referendum on its controversial Norwegian-backed peace bid with Tamil Tiger guerrillas as the dialogue process moved to highly contentious issues, a senior minister said on April 3.

Constitutional Affairs Minister G L Peiris said the government was considering "in earnest" the question of a nationwide plebiscite on the Norwegian-backed peace process.

He did not say when the referendum would be held, but the move could be aimed at President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who is an ardent critic of her cohabitation government's handling of the peace process, Asian diplomats said.

"It has been suggested that it will probably be useful for a referendum to be held on a peace Bill setting out steps which we need to take to carry forward the peace process to prepare a new Constitution," Peiris told reporters.

The government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are set for another round of negotiations in Thailand from April 29 to May 2. Contentious power- sharing issues are expected to be taken up at the talks.

Any political settlement with the Tigers require a referendum, but what the government is proposing is another referendum that would test public opinion before going in for drastic Constitutional changes, officials said.

PTI