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| Friday, 9 January 2004 |
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Politics | |
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| Withdrawal, ploy to gain sympathy, says JVP by Rashomi Silva The JVP yesterday described Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's decision to 'withdraw' from the Ceasefire Agreement it signed with the LTTE as a mere ploy to gain sympathy of NGOs and the International Community. Addressing the media in Colombo yesterday, JVP propaganda secretary Wimal Weerawansa said the JVP always expressed reservations about the ceasefire agreement and the LTTE. "The Prime Minister should have withdrawn from this so-called ceasefire agreement and the peace process when there was a spate of violations by the LTTE," he said. Questioned about the concerns raised by the majority of Tamil political parties on this issue, Weerawansa said the concern of the 'Pro-LTTE' Tamil parties and the personalities should not be taken seriously. Alleging that the Prime Minister had nurtured the LTTE during the past two years, Weerawansa said the LTTE was a militarily weak organisation prior to the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in 2001. "There was no transparency in the whole process. The President as the leader of the country was not briefed of its contents at the time of signing the agreement," he alleged. He asked the government to opt for another general election despite the mandate already received for five years since the mandate which brought the UNF to office in 2001 was no longer valid, "as the opinions of the people have changed". Responding to queries about the much talked PA-JVP alliance, Weerawansa said despite any alliance with the PA, the JVP stand on the devolution of power would not change. He said: "Other than those elements who make parrot like pronouncements, the intelligent masses do not accept power devolution as a resolution to the ethnic conflict." He said the JVP would welcome moves by the SLFP to appoint MP Anura Bandaranaike as a co-chairman of the proposed alliance. |
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