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| Friday, 14 May 2004 |
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| UNP welcomes President's invitation to Norway by Ariyaratne Ganegoda The UNP acknowledges the welcome of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga to invite the Norwegian Government as an unbiased facilitator to forge ahead the peace process for which his party assures its unstinted cooperation, stated former UNP Minister Professor G.L. Peiris briefing the media at the Opposition Leader's Office, Cambridge Place, Colombo, yesterday. Expressing the party's alarm about which he claimed were certain conspicuous contradictions in the Freedom Alliance Government's approach to the peace process, Professor Peiris said the peace process from the very outset should contain the element of compromise and sincerity of purpose, the existence of which are in doubt in public eye in view of the contradictory stands taken by the Freedom Alliance leadership. The nature and parameters of the Norwegian role, acceptance of the LTTE as the sole representative of the Tamil people, opinion of the Freedom Alliance leadership with regard to LTTE's claim to begin peace talks on the basis of Self Governing Administrative Unit and the demand for an emergency meeting to discuss the main issues were pointed out by Prof. Peiris as instances of contradiction on the part of the Freedom Alliance leadership. He further expressed doubt whether the peace process was being pursued for the purpose of the country's survival, or for the dubious purpose of surviving in Parliament as a weak ruling party or for the purpose of showing stability to the international community to attract foreign funds. The United National Party is determinedly committed to a sincere and fruitful peace process capable of continuing the dividends of development consequent upon the ceasefire entered into by the former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on February 22, 2002, said Prof. Peiris. Nuwara Eliya District MP S.B. Dissanayake and Colombo District MP Ravi Karunanayake also addressed the media conference. |
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