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President pledges qualified support for peace

by Wimal Weeraratne in Kandy

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on Monday pledged her unstinted support and co-operation towards any fair and justifiable process followed by the government to usher in lasting peace provided it didn't pave the way for the creation of a separate state of Eelam in the guise of peace.

The President made his pledge when she addressed SLFP activists in the Matale, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya Districts at a meeting held in Kandy.

The President said, "we are all duty bound to forget political differences and support the peace process if it is continued in a fair manner. The PA which is always committed to peace also brought forward peace proposals to which the LTTE too agreed.

The PA government was also due to enter into an agreement with the LTTE on April 11 but it failed at the last minute since the PA government was placed in a difficulty due to a conspiracy. The agreement the PA government was due to sign did not mention anything about Eelam".

President Kumaratunga noted that the LTTE had still not publicly shelved its Eelam concept. Sri Lanka would have to conduct a strong publicity campaign abroad if it was to work out a peace arrangement with the LTTE short of granting Eelam.

The President said if talks are to be held with the LTTE which is an organisation waging war against a democratically elected government it should be made to lay down arms and shelve its separate state concept as a pre-condition. The Ceasefire Agreement between the UNF government and the LTTE did not contain such provisions. An agreement devoid of such conditions could not be considered as a wise thing.

The President said the PA had won 10 consecutive elections during the previous 7 years. It lost the 2001 General Elections due to shortcomings and weaknesses on the part of certain Ministers and MPs. They should all be humble enough to understand that reality.

"The Progressive group led by the SLFP is the only force capable of guiding the country towards progress within a democratic framework while safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. The SLFP will be given a new orientation by changing the framework of appointing electoral organisers to enable it to continue as the leading political party of the common masses.

Presenting statistics the President pointed out that PA supporters and activists had suffered the biggest damage to life and property during pre and post election violence. She wished to remind the Prime Minister that he had failed to mete out justice to those victims.

National List MP and PA General Secretary D. M. Jayaratne and Parliamentarians Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Janaka Bandara Tennekoon and a large number of electoral organisers, Provincial Council and local council members attended the meeting.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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