UNP urges UPFA government to commence peace talks

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 September 2004, 19:52 GMT]
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) Thursday appealed to the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government to commence peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as it has gained majority in the parliament.
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President meets with the Leader of Opposition

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 September 2004, 13:24 GMT]
President Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga briefed the Leader of Opposition Thursday on the Government's proposal for initiating a National Advisory Council for Peace Reconciliation with the objective of establishing a consultative process with all political parties as well as with religious dignitaries and civil society groups, informed the Presidential Secretariat in a news release. Full text of the news release from the Presidential Secretariat follows:br/br/bPresident discusses consultative process with Leader of the Opposition/bbr/br/President Kumaratunga today met with the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe for an informal discussion on matters of national interest.br/br/The President explained to Mr. Wickremasinghe, the Governments proposal for initiating a National Advisory Council for Peace Reconciliation with the objective of establishing a consultative process, with political parties as well as with religious dignitaries and civil society groups.br/br/The Leader of the Opposition indicated that he would discuss the proposal with his party and keep the President informed. 2 live edit 2 live edit 2 live edit 2 draft edit 2 draft edit
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SLFP, UNP should act together to recommence negotiations - NLF

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 August 2004, 02:57 GMT]
"It is indeed absolutely incumbent on the two so-called major parties (UNP and SLFP) to get their act together to recommence negotiations and take them forward fruitfully to an equitable outcome, especially because it is these two parties that are irrefutably responsible, jointly and severally, for the sins of omission and commission that triggered the 20 year long war," Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratne, the leader of the New Left Front (NLF), told TamilNet in an interview Monday.
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Anura blames UNP for planting Karuna story

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 July 2004, 00:44 GMT]
Minister and Sri Lanka President’s Advisor Mr.Anura Bandaranaike today castigated former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe for attempting to make him earn the wrath of the Liberation Tigers by planting a concocted story in Colombo media that he transported LTTE renegade leader Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan (Karuna) to Singapore.


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German FM in Colombo to lobby for UN security council seat

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 July 2004, 17:39 GMT]
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer arrived in Sri Lanka Saturday night for a two-day visit as part of his ten- day tour in Asia. He is scheduled to meet several Sri Lankan leaders, including President Kumaratunga, during his short visit. Garnering support for Germany's bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council is on top of Fischer's agenda, a press note on his visit said.
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The cease-fire’s weakest link: Tamil paramilitaries

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 June 2004, 17:50 GMT]
When Norwegian Special Envoy Erik Solheim flew into Sri Lanka this week, he was well aware that the problems that have bedeviled his government’s peace process thus far have now been eclipsed by new and far more severe one: a weak link in the formal ceasefire between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers has finally snapped.
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Thamilchelvan conveys LTTE’s stand on CFA, talks to Solheim

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 June 2004, 08:37 GMT]
“If the Sri Lankan President and government are serious about the cease-fire agreement and peace talks they should stop sheltering Karuna and backing the murder and mayhem in which some of his henchmen are indulging Batticaloa. This is what we told the Norwegian facilitators today”, said Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, head of the LTTE’s political division, speaking to the press after meeting Norway’s special peace envoy Mr. Erik Solheim Wednesday in Kilinochchi.
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Special envoy Solheim to meet Thamilchelvan Wednesday

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 June 2004, 15:07 GMT]
Norwegian special envoy Mr. Erik Solheim is to visit Killinochchi Wednesday to hold discussions with Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan, political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in a bid to break the deadlock in resuming the stalled peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE, embassy statement said.
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Sacked SLMC parliamentarians file petition in SC

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 June 2004, 15:04 GMT]
Three dissident Sri Lanka Muslim Congress parliamentarians Messrs Hussain Baila, Najeeb Abdul Majeed and Risard Badiudin Tuesday filed a petition in the Sri Lanka's Supreme Court (SC) against their dismissal from the party and seeking the court to declare that their removal from the party is illegal, legal sources said.
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SLA role in renegade affair said scuttling peace effort

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 June 2004, 18:24 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers will take up the question of the Sri Lanka army backing renegade commander ‘Karuna’ with the Norwegian facilitators when they meet them next, LTTE sources in Kilinochchi said Saturday. “The Sri Lankan government should come clean on this matter if it wants to preserve the bona fide on which the peace talks are based," they said.
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Ali Zahir Moulana resigns MP post over Karuna affair

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 June 2004, 13:01 GMT]
Mr.Ali Zahir Moulana Seyed, National List Parliamentarian of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) Wednesday evening handed over his resignation letter to Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the UNP following the revelation of his connection in the escape of the LTTE renegade commander Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna and his associates from the East to Colombo, party sources said.
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Opposition to urge reconvening parliament before PC elections

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 June 2004, 03:59 GMT]
Leaders of opposition parties are scheduled to meet Wednesday in the parliamentary complex to decide on the next course of action taken in regard to safeguard the parliamentary democracy. The Leader of the Opposition and main opposition United National Party (UNP) Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe is to preside over the meet, political sources in Colombo said.
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Speaker summons first party leaders’ meeting

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 May 2004, 12:03 GMT]
The new Speaker of the Sri Lanka Parliament Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara has officially summoned the first meeting of leaders of political parties represented in the parliament Monday 17th noon, political sources in Colombo said.
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CWC, SLMC to decide their future with UNF this weekend

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 May 2004, 17:58 GMT]
The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), major constituents in the United National Front (UNF), are likely to decide their future with the main opposition UNF before May 18th, political sources said
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US diplomat Rocca to visit Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 May 2004, 17:27 GMT]
Ms. Christina Rocca, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, is scheduled to arrive in Colombo on a four-day visit Thursday. A visit to Trincomalee is also included in her itinerary, sources at the US Embassy in Colombo said Wednesday.
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Solheim briefs Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 May 2004, 14:13 GMT]
Mr. Erik Solheim, the Norwegian peace envoy, Wednesday met with the Leader of the Opposition in Sri Lanka's parliament, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, and briefed him on the outcome of the talks he has had with the President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, political leadership of the Liberation Tigers, leaders of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the Tamil National Alliance since he arrived in Colombo Saturday, political sources said.
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Tyronne Fernando resigns from UNP to join UPFA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 April 2004, 16:35 GMT]
Mr.Tyronne Fernando, who was a parliamentarian of the United National Party from the Moratuwa electorate and Foreign Minister in the former United National Front government, Tuesday sent in his resignation letter to the leader of the UNP, Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe. Leaders of United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) are reported to have approached Mr. Fernando to nominate him for the post of Chief Minister of the Western Provincial Council, political sources said.
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Sri Lanka Buddhist monks’ party slams Marxists

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 April 2004, 16:22 GMT]
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), the party of ultra Sinhala nationalist Buddhist monks, Monday charged that the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s chief coalition partner, is planning to eliminate its leaders. Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka Thero, General Secretary of the JHU, told a press conference at the party’s headquarters in a plush Colombo suburb that leading monks of his party had received death threats again on Sunday night. Meanwhile thousands of posters lambasting the JHU monks appeared in Colombo during the weekend.
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Kumaratunga requests Norway to resume facilitation

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 April 2004, 08:37 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga phoned Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik Thursday evening and requested Norway to resume its role as a third party facilitator in the peace process between the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), said a press release issued by the Norwegian Prime Ministers Office in Oslo Friday. Norway, however, said it would resume its role as facilitator if the LTTE also made a similar request to Oslo. Norway said it was temporarily withdrawing from Sri Lanka's peace process in November last year.
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Sri Lanka's Speaker's election delayed due to shortage of ballot papers

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 April 2004, 10:50 GMT]
Ms Priyani Wijesekara, Secretary General of Sri Lanka parliament Thursday afternoon ordered the Government Printer to send two sets of ballot papers to parliament to replenish her stocks so that fourth round of poll to the post of Speaker can be conducted. Meanwhile Ms.Wijesekara, Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse and the leader of the opposition Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe are locked in serious discussion to resolve the crisis in conducting Speaker's election, parliamentary media sources said.
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