``The cabinet of ministers will hold a special meeting on Friday to make a final decision,'' Constitutional Affairs and Justice Minister G L Peiris said at a press conference on Thursday.

This follows President Chandrika Kumaratunga's acceptance of a ``challenge'' by opposition leader Ranil Wickremsinghe who last week conveyed to the government that he would support the postponement of provincial polls only on the condition that the government agreed to hold Presidential elections later in the year, Peiris said.

The postponement of the provincial council elections requires an amendment to the constitution which needs opposition assistance for the obligatory two-thirds vote in Parliament.

Meanwhile, the opposition United National Party parliamentary group is meeting today todecide whether it will back Wickremsinghe's demand for Presidential elections two years ahead of schedule. Party members are more confident of winning provincial council elections than of a one-to-one contest between their leader and the charismatic Kumaratunga.

Peiris said the government would take a ``final decision'' on the elections on Friday depending on the outcome of the UNP meeting today. He said the question of postponing the provincial elections had arisen due to the ``present intensity'' of the war in the north-east.

``It is impossible to pull out men from the operational area. This operation is now at a critical stage,'' he said, pointing out that under the circumstances, the government would not be able to fulfill the opposition's demand for two police officers at every polling booth.

He said deputy Defence Minister Anuruddha Ratawatte had assured the government that his ministry would be able to release troops for election duty later in the year.

Peiris said the government had``accepted with pleasure'' Wickremsinghe's condition that a Presidential poll be held this year if it wanted his support for the postponement of the provincial elections. The earliest that Presidential elections can be held is after November 10 this year.