Prime Minister briefs Archbishop on peace process

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 August 2002, 16:40 GMT]
The Archbishop of Colombo, Right Reverend Dr. Oswald Gomes, Tuesday urged Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe to take forward the peace process and find a honourable solution to the ethnic conflict. The Archbishop made the plea when the Prime Minister met him Tuesday afternoon and briefed him on the present status of the Norwegian peace initiative.

The Prime Minister explained in detail to the Archbishop the steps he is to take shortly to usher a new political culture in the island. "The government is to set up a new legal frame work to avoid confrontational politics in the future," Mr. Wickremasinghe said.

The Prime Minister told the Archbishop that he was trying his best to reach an understanding with the main political parties in taking forward the peace process. The Archbishop wished the Prime Minister success in his endeavor and pointed out to him the importance of adopting a consensus on national issues.

Meanwhile leading Buddhist monks at a separate press briefing Tuesday afternoon held in Colombo demanded the ruling United National Front reach a consensus with the main opposition People's Alliance before lifting the ban on the LTTE.