IPU assistance sought to forge consensus between SLFP, UNP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 October 2006, 12:10 GMT]
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), a worldwide organization of parliamentarians working for peace and co-operation with its Secretariat based in Geneva, has been invited to assist in forging a consensus among political parties in the south, especially between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), main constituent of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government and the main opposition United National Party (UNP), said Mr.Mahinda Samarasinghe, Disaster Manager Minister to the press in Colombo Sunday.

Currently the leaders of SLFP and UNP have been holding discussions to forge a consensus on identified six matters including the ethnic crisis.

Two rounds of talks between these parties were already held and the third round of talks, expected to be the final one, is to be held on October 3 in the Jayawardhanapura parliamentary complex building, sources said.

Mr.Mahinda Samarasinghe said he handed over the invitation of the government to IPU Secretary General during his visit abroad with the President to extend his assistance to facilitate the process between the two parties.

He further said the Secretary General of the IPU would arrive in Colombo this week. He would meet Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, UNP leader on Wednesday and President Mahinda Rajapakse on Thursday.

IPU Secretary General would also meet the leaders of other political parties in the south during his stay in Colombo, Minister Samarasinghe said.

Mr. Samarasinghe was earlier a member in the UNP .He later joined the UPFA government following the defeat of the UNP in the last parliamentary election, sources said.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union was formed in 1889 on the initiative of two Parliamentarians William Randal Cremer (UK) and Frederic Passy (France). National Parliaments of 140 UN member countries currently hold membership in the IPU.

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