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United National Party's Media Spokesman Gayantha Karunathilleke MP in a statement issued yesterday rejected the allegation made by a section of the SLFP that the government had appointed an Army Commander friendly towards the LTTE.

Mr. Karunatilleke said it is time that the Ranil Wickremesinghe government recommended a further extension to Army Commander Lt. Gen. Lionel Balagalle. But Lt. Gen. Balagalle was first appointed to that post by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga who granted him several promotions.

The 'Mangala clique' of the SLFP in a recent statement had said the government has appointed an Army Commander friendly towards the LTTE. But it is strange that they did not make this allegation when the President granted promotion to Lt. Gen. Balagalle and first made him the Army Commander.

When Lt. Gen. Balagalle moves out from his post the Government will have to appoint the next qualified person in the Army to succeed him. But this person too has been labelled as a friend of the LTTE according to this allegation.

Mr. Karunatilleke said the UNP totally rejected these baseless allegation made against the armed forces by the 'Mangala clique' and wished to question them as to why the so-called suspicious connection of the Army were not investigated during their 7 year rule which boasted about conducting the war properly. Mr. Karunatilleke also asked wether Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapakse condoned these allegations made against the Army by the 'Mangala clique'.

The Mangala clique had also alleged that the President's decision to allow 8 Major Generals in the Army to retire was being opposed at the behest of the LTTE. This clearly indicates that the Mangala clique is behind the decision to retire these officers. It is therefore abundantly clean that the decision to retire these 8 Major Generals was a conspiracy by the Mangala clique, to weaken the Armed Forces, the statement concluded.

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