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| Sunday, 7 May 2006 |
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Joint Statement of the All Party Conference - 28 April 2006 We, the leaders and representatives of the democratic political parties elected to the Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka through the free vote of the people, representing the Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim and all other communities of our land, make this united appeal before all Sri Lankans who value peace and look forward to achieving it with dignity, and before all peoples, governments and organizations of the world that value and lay stress on human freedom and democracy.
It is our firm belief that differences that arise among different communities of our country and the various streams of political opinion should be resolved through the democratic process of discussions directed towards peace. It is also our conviction that solutions to the differences should be sought through non-violence and the consensus of our people. In that context, all people of Sri Lanka, and particularly the members of the Armed Forces and the Police, deserve our undiminished praise for maintaining their commitment to non-violence and discussion in the face of extremely ruthless provocations, including the most outrageous suicide bomb attack on the Commander of the Army, employing a pregnant mother. We unreservedly reject the acts of terrorism, the cruel murders and other forms of violence which have been used as means to instill fear in people, and thereby achieve political goals and objectives. At this decisive moment, we declare with all responsibility that we shall act with unity and single-minded purpose against such efforts to intimidate and provoke our democratic society. We shall also not allow our political differences to obstruct the protection of human freedom that is most cherished. Further, we declare our unstinted support to His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his resolve to overcome terrorism and usher peace through negotiations. We have appeal observed with deep regret, the several attempts by certain sections of the foreign media to blatantly distort the truth in relation to the incidents that have taken place in our country and thereby damage the image of our people. We vehemently deplore and condemn these practices and urge such sections of the media to act with responsibility and integrity. Our people to all our beloved people who favour peace is to respect law and order, maintain peace within the country, and to act with restraint. At the same time, our appeal to the international community is to assist us in the united action we take to protect the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and democracy in our land. We also take this opportunity to reiterate our commitment to engage Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher, Malay and all communities in the governance of our country. Signed by: United People's Freedom Alliance Sri Lanka Freedom Party United National Party People's Liberation Front Jathika Hela Urumaya Ceylon Workers' Congress Sri Lanka Muslim Congress National Unity Alliance Mahajana Eksath Peramuna Lanka Sama Samaja Party Communist Party of Sri Lanka Up-Country People's Front Eelam People's Democratic Party All Ceylon Muslim Congress National Congress Department of Government Information
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