Renewed peace talks between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels have been indefinitely postponed.
The announcement, by Constitutional Affairs Minister GL Peiris, came hours before Norwegian peace envoys were expected to arrive in Colombo amid a continuing power struggle between Sri Lanka's president and prime minister.
"It's realistic to recognise that the events of the last four days have placed the peace process at some risk," Mr Peiris said after an hour-long meeting between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his Cabinet ministers.
"We have to sort out basic issues first before we plunge into talks with the LTT [Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam]," he said.
The island nation has been engulfed in political turmoil since President Chandrika Kumaratunga last week fired the ministers of defence, police and media - all key players in the peace bid. She also suspended Parliament and briefly declared a state of emergency.
Vidar Helgesen, Norway's deputy foreign minister and special envoy Erik Solheim, were expected to arrive later today to discuss the future of peace efforts.
Until the political crisis erupted last week, they had been widely expected to arrange a date for face-to-face talks between government officials and the Tigers.