Strong foundation to work out modalities:

Govt, TNA talks to resume tomorrow

by Ananth PALAKIDNAR

The first meeting for the new year between the special committees of the Government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to explore ways and means to find a solution for the grievances of the people living in the North and the East will be held tomorrow, according to TNA spokesperson Suresh Premachandran.

Premachandran told the Sunday Observer that tomorrow’s meeting between the high level committees of the Government and the TNA would be significant as it was the first meeting for the year.

“The special committees comprising representatives from the Government and the Tamil National Alliance were set up following a discussion between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the TNA in June last year.

The TNA held one on one talks between President Rajapaksa and TNA leader R. Sampanthan on two occasions and there were a few meetings with the Government and the TNA last year,” Premachandran said.

He also said that issues were taken up during the talks last year with regard to the political settlement and the resettlement and reconstruction process in the North and the East.

“We are looking forward to lay a strong foundation for future talks and to work out the modalities to arrive at a solution for the Tamil question,” Premachandran said.

The committee on the Government side will comprise Minister of Good Governance and Infrastructure Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, Minister of Irrigation and Water Management Nimal Siripala de Silva and Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris. The Tamil National Alliance committee will comprise party leader R. Sampanthan MP, Mavai Senathiraja MP, Suresh Premachandran MP, M. Sumanthiran MP, Selvam Adaikalanathan MP and Kanaga Easwaran PC.

Meanwhile, the Tamil National Alliance has decided to contest all Local Government bodies at the forthcoming elections in March. A meeting was held yesterday in Vavuniya to discuss the party’s strategies for the LG polls along with the issues to be taken up for tomorrow’s high level committee meeting.