SL President says will establish JM despite opposition

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 May 2005, 10:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Tuesday said an excellent opportunity has arisen to achieve peace in the island by establishing a Joint Mechanism (JM) with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to reconstruct the tsunami destroyed coastal areas in the northeast. Despite opposition and risk to her presidency, she is prepared to implement the JM proposal to bring peace to Sri Lanka, she said addressing a meeting of the National Council for Peace and Reconciliation attended by leaders of all faiths held Tuesday, the State run Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation reported in its evening news bulletin.

The Mahanayake Thera of Malwatte Chapter presided over the meeting held in the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), sources said.

The President further said some in the government are opposing the JM proposal. But if a referendum were held tomorrow about sixty percent would vote for the proposed JM. She is very keen in implementing the JM proposal to bring the LTTE into the process of democracy.

"LTTE which fought for a separate state has now come to accept a joint mechanism with the government. Those who oppose JM proposal have no alternative," Ms Kumaratunge said.

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