SLMC ready to join Govt. - Baiz

by Thava Sajitharan

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) met a government delegation at Temple Trees on Friday to set the agenda for talks on the SLMC-SLFP tie up.

SLMC National Organiser K.A. Baiz told the Sunday Observer yesterday that the ruling SLFP and the SLMC had appointed a two-member committees to analyse the issues to be brought up in future discussions.

"We are in a mood to join the government with certain conditions", said Baiz. When asked what those conditions were, he said, the government would have to give an assurance to solve the problems facing the Muslim community.

The government delegation was led by Minister Maithripala Sirisena and the SLMC delegation by the party's leader Rauff Hakeem.

The SLMC National Organiser denied speculation expressed in the Tamil press that the government was trying to buy over some SLMC MPs.

"There is no need for the government to attempt to buy over any of our parliamentarians as we are prepared to have a dialogue with them."

The other members of the government delegation were Ministers Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Athauda Seneviratne and Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress was represented by Secretary General of the party Hassan Ali, MP, Chairman, Basheer Shehudavud, MP, National Organiser K.A. Baiz and several other party dignitaries.