Rajapakse, Wikremasinghe expected to discuss common agenda

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 September 2006, 12:20 GMT]
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and Ranil Wickremasinghe, the leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), are expected to meet coming weekend to hold discussions on Rajapakse's invitation to UNP to join the ruling alliance. The meeting between the two leaders would take place after the conclusion of the annual conventions of the two main political parties Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and UNP, political sources in Colombo said.

Meanwhile, the UNP parliamentary group which is scheduled to meet Monday evening would decide on the framework for talks with President Mahinda Rajapakse, regarding national consensus on the ethnic conflict, depending on the response to the party's position, which was conveyed to him in writing last week by the leader and deputy leader of the UNP, party Deputy General SecretaryMr.Tissa Attanayake said

SLFP, founded by late Prime Minister S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike in 1951 and currently the main constituent of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) held its fiftieth anniversary Monday morning at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) presided by President Mahinda Rajapakse as the head of the party.

The main opposition UNP is to hold its 60th anniversary on September 6.

UNP was founded in the year 1946 by late D.S.Senanayake who was the first Prime Minister of the independent Sri Lanka (then Ceylon).