Kumaratunga ally threatens to quit if talks resume

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 February 2005, 06:48 GMT]
The Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the main coalition partner of President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s government Thursday threatened to pull out of the ruling alliance if the long stalled talks between Colombo and the Liberation Tigers on setting up an interim administration to address the immediate humanitarian needs of the war torn Northeast of Sri Lanka are resumed. In a hard hitting statement issued Thursday, JVP slammed President Kumaratunga’s government for neither consulting nor informing them about the announcement Wednesday that Colombo is ready to restart talks with the Tigers on the basis of a proposal for establishing an interim administration.

“We are not even aware how this decision was taken. We got a firm mandate from the people at the 2004 April election that we will not let the country be divided. We were not consulted regarding this announcement although we are part of the government”, the JVP said.

The statement issued in Sinhala was signed by the JVP’s powerful propaganda secretary Mr. Wimal Weerawansa.

Related Articles:
16.02.05   Chandrika appoints new secretary to JVP's Fisheries Ministry
08.02.05   JVP says will boycott Tsunami debate
02.02.05   Probe NGO links with the LTTE, JVP tells President Kumaratun..
01.02.05   JVP, SLFP discord widens
22.01.05   Government's call for unity is an empty ballyhoo, says JVP