Rajapaksa, opposition hold talks
15 May 2012 8:04 AM GMT
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe held talks here on Monday to resolve differences over opposition's participation in a parliamentary panel to hammer out a solution to the Tamil issue.
Wickremesinghe led a United National Party (UNP) delegation to the 'Temple Trees', residence of Rajapaksa at his invitation.
The two sides discussed Rajapaksa's move to convene a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to hammer out a solution to the problems concerning the Tamil minority.
Sources said that outlining his reasons to convene the PSC, the Sri Lankan president told the UNP that the bilateral talks took place between the TNA, the main Tamil party and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the dominant party in the ruling UPFA alliance, and not between the government and the TNA.
Therefore the talks need to be expanded to include all political parties.
The UNP sources said that president invited them to take part in the PSC and the UNP assured that opposition could take part in the PSC process if the government was able to take meaningful steps to create conditions conducive for its participation.
The UNP had held that participation of TNA in the process was imperative and that government must take action to implement the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations.
Wickremesinghe led a United National Party (UNP) delegation to the 'Temple Trees', residence of Rajapaksa at his invitation.
The two sides discussed Rajapaksa's move to convene a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to hammer out a solution to the problems concerning the Tamil minority.
Sources said that outlining his reasons to convene the PSC, the Sri Lankan president told the UNP that the bilateral talks took place between the TNA, the main Tamil party and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the dominant party in the ruling UPFA alliance, and not between the government and the TNA.
Therefore the talks need to be expanded to include all political parties.
The UNP sources said that president invited them to take part in the PSC and the UNP assured that opposition could take part in the PSC process if the government was able to take meaningful steps to create conditions conducive for its participation.
The UNP had held that participation of TNA in the process was imperative and that government must take action to implement the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations.
Next Story
