'Talks failed due to divergent views on Peace Process' - JVP

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 September 2003, 16:21 GMT]
The Sinhala nationalist, marxist, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said Sunday that talks to form a political alliance with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) failed because of divergence views held by both parties on the national crisis and Norwegian role in the peace process, media sources said.

The general secretary of the JVP Mr.Tilvin Silva explained at a press briefing held Sunday the reasons that led to the collapse of the talks held between the JVP and SLFP to form an alliance.

"We could not agree with the SLFP's position on the national crisis and Norwegian role to bring a political solution to the ethnic conflict. The JVP wanted a political solution within the unitary form of government with equality to all communities. But the SLFP wanted devolution of power," said Mr.Tilvin Silva.

The JVP wanted to stop the Norwegian role immediately. The SLFP held a different view in this regard, he added.

People who wanted the downfall of the present United National Front (UNF) government were keen in the formation of a political alliance between the JVP and SLFP. The JVP did every thing possible to meet their expectation a reality. But all attempts proved futile to form an alliance to bring true independence of the country, he said.

Mr.Tilvin Silva further said that the JVP would make all efforts to achieve its objective by other means and it has already taken steps to set up broader national movement for this purpose.

JVP parliamentary group leader Mr.Wimal Weerawanse said that there was still room to relaunch negotiation on an alliance. He said that patriotic elements within the SLFP should work for the revival of talk's top forge a political alliance with the JVP, media sources said.