Flexibility and patience vital to solve national crisis

‘North Ireland settlement a good example’- Prof. Tissa Vitharana

By Ananth Palakidnar

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The Chairman of the All Party Representative Committee and Minister of Science and Technology Prof. Tissa Vitharana who announced the convening of the APRC meeting this week after a lapse of two months said that during his visit to Britain, the British and North Ireland experts who successfully dealt with the North Ireland crisis said that the Lankan national crisis should also be dealt with extreme patience and flexibility to reach an amicable settlement.

Prof. Vitharana who visited the United kingdom to explore the methods of resolving the North Ireland crisis, Scotland and Wales issues told the Sunday Observer that the integrity and flexibility of the British politicians had played a major role in solving those complicated issues successfully.

“The APRC meeting is expected to be convened this week to make fresh initiatives.

Therefore, the discussions and feasibility studies which were made during my stay in Britain last week would help in sharing the British experience in dealing with our national crisis.

My delegation spent three days in North Ireland and witnessed the Parliamentary activities where the North Ireland’s Anglican and Catholic representatives now deal with their politics amicably since the Irish Republican Army denounced violence and entered the political mainstream.

Shinfein, the political wing of the IRA is currently playing an effective role since the North Ireland crisis was settled a few years ago,” Prof. Vitharana said.

The APRC Chairman said that the North Ireland crisis which was worse than the Lankan crisis and remained a big challenge to the British Government was settled under a unitary system with the optimal devolution of powers.

The Memorandum of Understanding reached with regard to the North Ireland crisis has been made an Act of the British Parliament.

“Therefore, the North Ireland settlement is a good example for all political parties in Sri Lanka in dealing with our own crisis.

The Scotland and Wales issues were also settled under a unitary system with optimal devolution of powers,” Prof. Vitharana said.

Commenting on the concerns of British political circles over the Lankan crisis, Minister Vitharana said they insisted that utmost patience and flexibility were vital in dealing with extremely complicated political issues and it was only through political means that the Lankan crisis too could be settled.