Support Govt -Joint appeal by Chambers

The National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (NCCSL), Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and the Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI) has made the following joint appeal:

The country is currently at a momentous point in its history, where ethnic strife and terrorism that has plagued it for a nearly three decades has now reached a decisive stage.

This historic opportunity calls for unity of all sections of the country, regardless of political, ethnic, religious and other differences to support the Government under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Any misguided action at this sensitive time can nullify this prospect and propel this country into another spiral of violence, misery and lost opportunity.

We believe that there are three critical requirements at this juncture, which are:

* For the leadership of all political parties of the country to rally round and support the initiative of the Government. We welcome the approach of the Government to make the process inclusive by taking all political parties into its confidence.

*. For the Government to take the initiative by announcing its response to the aspirations of the minority communities and provincial administration for the devolution of power.

It is reported that the APRC has achieved consensus on 90% of the issues discussed. This process has taken over two years since it was initiated with the objective of reaching consensus. Any further delay in arriving at a resolution will only create suspicion and distrust regarding the true intentions of Government. For the Government to intensify its positive steps to minimise the hardships of the civilian population who are displaced and traumatised in the Wanni. We commend the Government's plan to demarcate conflict free civilian spaces which will enhance the safety of civilians.

"We are hopeful that the political leadership of the Government and the Opposition will display political maturity and the highest standards of statesmanship in this critical phase of our country's history".