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by Sarath Samaranayaka and D. Oliver Silva

The Maha Sangha should support the Government in its on-going peace initiative, the Most Ven. Rambukwelle Sri Vipassi, Mahanayaka Thera of the Malwatte Chapter of the Siyam Nikaya, said in Kandy yesterday during a meeting with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Prime Minister yesterday met with the Malwatte Mahanayaka Thera as well as the Most Ven. Udugama Sri Buddharakkhitha Mahanayaka Thera of the Asgiriya Chapter of the Siyam Nikaya to brief the prelates on the Ceasefire Agreement and the current state of the peace process.

The Malwatte prelate observed that the Prime Minister had shouldered a heavy responsibility in attempting to bring about a lasting peace to the country. He assured the Premier of the blessings of the Maha Sangha as well as his personal blessings for the current peace process.

He commended the Prime Minister for his effort in meeting with the Maha Sangha and explaining the peace process to them. In the course of the negotiations, the Government should ensure that interests of the 'country, race and religion' are protected, the Ven. Mahanayaka Thera said.

The Anunayaka of the Malwatte Chapter, Ven. Abanwella Sri Pagnasekera, Malwatte Sangha Sabha senior member Ven. Aluthgagama Dhammananda and Registrar of the Malwatte Sangha Sabha Ven. Niyangoda Vijitha were also associated in the talks with the Prime Minister. Defence Minister, Tilak Marapana accompanied the PM.

The Prime Minister answered all the questions posed by the prelates and said that all of Sri Lanka's 25,000 square miles of territory belonged to the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims.

The Prime Minister said that although the government had signed the ceasefire agreement, the Government and the LTTE could not be considered equal.

He further said that members of the LTTE were not people of a different country but citizens of Sri Lanka who had broken the law of the country. He added that though the LTTE had military power in some places of the country, the entire administration of the country belonged to the Government. The Prime Minister stressed that the war should be stopped immediately as it had killed innocent people and children in the country.

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