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| Sunday, 17 October 2004 |
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Maha Nayake advises TNA and UNP Weekly Newscan by Ajarath The Maha Nayake Thera of Malwatta Chapter, the Most Ven.Thibbottuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera advised the Tamil National Alliance to participate in the National Advisory Council for Peace and Reconciliation, together with the UNP to find a workable solution to the North-East ethnic conflict. TNA Parliamentarians R. Sambandan, Suresh Premachandran, M.K. Sivajilingam and others met the prelate in Kandy. They told the Maha Nayaka Thera, that the main objective of their meeting was to seek the assistance, cooperation and advice in persuading the government to expedite the peace talks with the LTTE since the undue delay in talks could be disastrous. Indian assistance sought Meanwhile, the Maha Nayaka Thera, who met the Indian High Commissioner Nirupama Rao, commended President Kumaratunga for her devotion and dedication to the creating of lasting peace in the country. It would not difficult to achieve peace, the country's main hope, if the UNP and the TNA participate in the NACPR. The Maha Nayaka Thera also sought the assistance in the restoration of Buddhist places of worship destroyed during the North-East war. Speaking at the occasion, the Indian envoy said: `India and Sri Lanka are democratic countries and they cannot prevent various groups holding different views and acting on them. But all differences of opinion could be ironed out through discussion and consensus.' Ranil is ready Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe assured Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh that he would gladly engage in any discussion with President Kumaratunga on the peace process, said a Press Release from UNP on Wickremesinghe's visit to India. The release said: `Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh emphasised that negotiations should commence with immediate effect with the view to reach a political solution, that safeguards democracy, for the ethnic conflict and the solution should be within a united Sri Lanka. Commending on the role played by Ranil Wickremesinghe in the area of enhancing and strengthening Indo-Lanka relationship, Dr. Singh said that Ranil Wickremesinghe has made the biggest contribution in the recent history. The Opposition Leader also met the Indian President Dr. Abdul Kalam, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Foreign Minister Natwar Singh, DMK Chief M. Karunanidhi and others. Direct contacts Swiss Foreign Minister Michelline Calmy-Ray said the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE must soon resume peace talks in order to reach a settlement within the framework of a federal system as agreed, ending the long dragged ethnic conflict. She said the Swiss government was having direct contacts with the LTTE, and this could be used to help the two parties to better understand each others' aspirations. Change expected The Government Spokesman and Minister Mangala Samaraweera said that Government's counter-proposals for an interim administrative structure in the North and East in response to the ISGA proposals by the LTTE were now ready. Minister Samaraweera expressed optimism that the LTTE stand may change following the tour by a Thamilselvan-led delegation to Europe. He said the Government's counter proposals will be made public at the appropriate time, but said it will be handed over to the LTTE first for its consideration. Karuna's party A new political party, Tamil Eela People's Liberation Tigers has been organised under the leadership of Karuna and an application for the registration as a registered and recognised political party in Sri Lanka has been handed over to the Commissioner of Elections in Colombo. G.R. Gnanarajah, the Secretary-General of the newly formed political party handed over the application as well as the basic concept of the `Tamil People's Manifesto of the Party'. More women Cabinet approval has been granted to a proposal by Women's Empowerment and Social Welfare Minister Sumedha G. Jayasena calling for an increase in women's representation in local government institutions. According to the proposal, at least one-third of each Loal Government-Council should be women members. |
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