Minister urges UNP-PA to work together for peace

[TamilNet, Sunday, 22 December 2002, 17:36 GMT]
Minister of Fisheries, Mr.Mahinda Wijesekara, addressing a seminar Sunday at Devinuwara, a town in deep South, appealed to the United National Front (UNF) government and the main opposition People's Alliance ( PA ) to bury their differences and work together to find a lasting political solution to the ethnic conflict.

Mr.Mahinda Wijesekara, a militant member of the then Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) during 1971 insurgency later joined the PA in 1994 and entered national politics. He was a minister in the PA government till he crossed over to the United National party in November 2001.

Mr. Wijesekara said Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge came to power in 1994 on the promise that she would bring the brutal war to an end once she assumed the Executive Presidency. However, she could not keep her promise due to her inconsistent policies. Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe as Prime Minister of the UNF government has been able to stop the war because of his dedication.

The peace talks between the GOSL and LTTE are being taken forward with the hope of finding a political solution to the national conflict. Any solution found to the conflict should be accepted by parliament by a two-third majority before implementation. The UNF alone has no such majority in parliament and it has to depend on the support of the PA and other political parties. If the UNF and PA joined hands it would be easy to implement a political solution arrived at through negotiation with the LTTE, said Minister Wijesekara.

Former Finance Minister and PA parliamentarian Mr. Ronnie de Mel said the party politics has ruined the economic development of the country.