Meanwhile, Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharrazi said his country would continue with its mediation efforts. ``All Islamic nations must work to find a negotiated solution to the crisis, because it can only benefit our enemies,'' reports quoted him as saying.

Ankara piled up troops on its border with Syria this week, accusing its neighbour of supporting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels active in southeast Turkey.

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has not given up her plans to hold mid-term elections in March next year despite the worst ever reverses suffered by the army in therecent battle of Killinochchi against the LTTE, analysts said. Ignoring the criticism mounted by opposition UNP leader Ranil Wickramasinghe that over 11,500 armed forces were killed due to aggressive defence strategies pursued by Kumaratunga after her election in 1994, she told an investiture ceremony here last night ``very soon'' people would teach a lesson to ``barking dogs'' who belittled the achievements of the armed forces.