Colombo - An EU poll observer team yesterday expressed grave concern over election-related violence in Sri Lanka and said they were appalled that President Chandrika Kumaratunga had justified revenge attacks during the campaign.
Meanwhile, President Kumaratunga yesterday expressed willingness to co-operate with her bitter rival, Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe, who will become the new prime minister after his party won the country's parliamentary elections.
In a conciliatory speech, Ms Kumaratunga said she had invited the leader of the former opposition United National Party (UNP), to form a government and looked forward to working for the "common good of our people".
The EU election observer mission said Ms Kumaratunga's People's Alliance (PA) as well as the opposition United National Party (UNP) which won Wednesday's parliamentary polls were responsible for the violence. EU mission chief, Mr John Cushnahan, criticised the president for a statement she made during the five-week election campaign in which she called on her supporters to avenge any attack on them because "it is all right to kill murderers".