UNP to nominate team for talks with Rajapakse Government

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 September 2006, 11:28 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) is likely to nominate a five-member delegation for talks with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), on the written request of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse in a bid to reach consensus on the ethnic conflict, political sources in Colombo said.

Mr.Rajapakse wanted the UNP delegation to hold talks with the SLFP team led by its General Secretary and Minister Mr.Maithiripala Sirisena regarding his earlier invitation to join the government.

UNP leadership responded favourably to the President's invitation.

The UNP is to send a list of five members to the government in the next few days which will be followed by a letter from the Opposition Leader Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe to Mr. Rajapakse laying out the modalities for the discussion between the two parties, UNP sources said.