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by Ranga Kalansooriya

The new Government will go ahead with the Norwegian facilitated peace process as a priority and is awaiting a call from Oslo to revive the mechanism, Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando told the Daily News yesterday.

A significant feature of the approach of the new Government will be the role that India will be given in this process, the Minister said.

"This is one of our top, urgent issues. The Prime Minister considers this as the most compelling issue that should be addressed without delay with Norwegian assistance," said Minister Fernando.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe along with the Foreign Minister will leave for India next week to apprise Indian leaders on the new developments.

"The Prime Minister and I will be in India from December 22 to 24 to meet Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Giving India a major role is a must," he said.

"We hope the opposition will also play a constructive role in this process," Mr. Fernando said.

The Prime Minister describing his plans regarding the future peace process to the Government Group yesterday said that he intends to revive the process without delay.

"He dedicated a considerable time in his first speech to the Group to educate the new MPs on the peace process," a new MP told the Daily News.

"The PA will certainly support the peace process," Former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar told the Daily News responding to Mr. Fernando's request for the opposition support.

"I have always been in favour of a bipartisan approach to the resolution of the ethnic problem. Nothing is more important for the welfare of our people, nothing is more urgent," said Mr. Kadirgamar.

"The agreement signed in 1997 between Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe as leader of the UNP and President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga as leader of the PA, which Mr. Wickremasinghe and I drafted, stated that the two major parties will consult each other on the ethnic question and that neither party would undermine the other party's discussions with the LTTE or overturn when in government any agreement entered into by the other party when in Government. This UNP - PA agreement still stands.

Mr.Wickremasinghe has confirmed that, and so do I on behalf of President Kumaratunga. The PA will certainly support the peace process and I in particular will gladly place at the disposal of the new Government the insight and experience I have acquired over seven years as Foreign Minister," he added.

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