MoU debate in parliament on March 5

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 February 2002, 15:50 GMT]
The United National Front (UNF) government Sunday said that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the government and the LTTE could be debated on March 5 when the parliament resumes its sittings. "We are ready to reconvene the parliament as early as possible to debate the MoU", said sources close to Prime Minister's office.

A memorandum signed by forty parliamentarians from the Marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna and the main opposition People's Alliance has already been submitted to the Speaker to summon the parliament immediately to debate the MoU.

Meanwhile the Presidential Secretariat media unit in a statement Sunday said that "President Chandrika Kumaratunge did not attend the two cabinet meetings held Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the cease-fire agreement between the UNF government and LTTE, as she had not been notified in advance."

The Presidential Secretariat rejected the statement made by the UNF media spokesman Minister G.L.Peiris that a special cabinet was summoned to discuss the MoU.

"According to tradition, relevant papers should be distributed to the members of the Cabinet one week prior to such meeting. The MoU was not in the agenda of papers in both instants", said the Presidential Secretariat media unit in its press release.