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| Sunday, 12 March 2006 |
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Politics |  |
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Ranil in Norway: UNP in the dark Opposition and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe's visit to Norway in the midst of the local government election campaign has been viewed with scepticism by party rank and file as they have been kept wholly in the dark about its purposes. The Norwegian government extended this invitation to the UNP leader after they welcomed the LTTE delegation following the talks between the Government and the LTTE in Geneva last month. UNP sources said that Wickremesinghe who would meet Norway's International Development Minister, Erik Solhiem had not briefed the parliamentary group nor any other body of the party on matters he would take up for discussion. A veteran UNPer from Colombo said that in the past, leaders always briefed the Parliamentary Group whenever they were officially invited abroad by governments."However, Wickremesinghe is quite different with the rank and file being kept in the dark", he added. He alleged that when the ceasefire agreement was entered into in 2002, Wickremesinghe adopted a similar attitude with matters only known to his 'confidantes'. The UNP is of the view that Norway should have invited Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera to discuss peace issues before inviting Wickremesinghe as no government envoy had been invited for discussion after the Geneva talks. Norway, however, invited the LTTE delegation immediately after the conclusion of the talks. At last week's UNP Parliamentary Group meeting Wickremesinghe told the MPs to work hard to win the local elections and requested them to leave the attempt to topple the government to him " I know how to do it and you leave that responsibility to me" he said. |
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