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President keen on ensuring law and order - Presidential Spokesman

by Ranil Wijayapala

The President will step in to take decisive action if the law and order situation in the country deteriorates further, Presidential Spokesman Harim Pieris said yesterday.

Addressing a media briefing Pieris said the President had observed that the law and order had completely broken down with the LTTE continuing to kill Tamil Political opponents in the North and East while politicians are being killed in the South.

Pieris complained that the Government has not taken meaningful steps to arrest the deteriorating law and order situation."The Government through various administrative rules has effectively rendered the Independent Police Commission ineffective.

The activities of the Presidential Commission to investigate the millennium city incident has been hampered without providing facilities," he added.

Commenting on requests by several political parties to the President to take over the Interior Ministry, Harim said the President will take appropriate action after considering these proposals.

"I cannot speculate what she is going to do but she will take action once needed," the spokesman added.

The presidential spokesman also refused the allegation by the LTTE that the President has been an obstacle to reach a lasting political situation in the country saying that the President initiated the current peace process.

The spokesman said that there are indications that the LTTE is preparing for war. "It is very clear from the intelligence reports and from the people in the North that the LTTE is preparing for war.

The very similar indications that haunted them prior to the commencement of war in 1995 are now being repeated".

He said that as happened in 1995 the LTTE continues to make accusations against the President. It is making impossible demands and building up cadres. "The repetition of these feature is quite frightening", the spokesman added. "These are not signs of the LTTE's preparedness towards peace or signs of turning into a political party."

The President has responsibly said the military preparedness and national security has been compromised and is in a low and inadequate position. He said the President has taken steps to improve the security of the country through the security council meetings which are now being called in every week.

Denying recent media reports over PA - LTTE talks the spokesman said it is important that the Sri Lankan state talks to the LTTE with one voice rather than having parallel talks with LTTE.

"President does not intend to have a parallel peace process with the LTTE", Pieris added.

The President has reiterated that whichever political party is in power, the process of seeking a negotiated political settlement would proceed.

"A negotiated political settlement is the only solution to the ethnic problem in this country".

Commenting on the government's intention to revert to the Year 2000 proposals as a foundation to the ongoing peace talks, Pieris said it will be an 'excellent' idea since the President always proposed that those Constitutional proposals can be taken as a foundation to continue negotiations to reach a political settlement.

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