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| Saturday, 31 July 2004 |
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EU hopes to openly exchange ideas with Govt. and LTTE by Uditha Kumarasinghe The Head of European Union (EU) delegation in Sri Lanka, Wouter Wilton who recently called on Agriculture, Livestock and Lands Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake has expressed willingness to discuss with the Ministers and the LTTE the North-East issue. Wilton who held a cordial and extensive discussion with the Minister, said the EU hopes to openly exchange ideas with the Government and the LTTE, an Agriculture Ministry spokesman told the Daily News yesterday. Wilton has pointed out to the Minister that the North-East issue cannot be settled only through discussions with the LTTE. Therefore, the EU always viewed this issue with an open mind. Wilton has said he considered Colombo as the Capital of Sri Lanka and not Kilinochchi. "That is why I am living in Colombo. The North-East people are caught in the middle of armed Tamil groups and Security Forces. Therefore the EU is willing to have an open dialogue with the Government as well as with the LTTE," he said. Dissanayake who warmly welcomed the EU Head, emphasised that the Government always acted in an open and transparent manner. The Government will not conceal anything from the public, the spokesman said. The Minister told the EU delegation that whether the LTTE holds talks with the Government, comply with the ceasefire agreement or recommence war are dependant on their final objective. Therefore the other party should have a proper understanding on this final result. "We all should discuss with a clear understanding on this final result," he said. Asked about the JVP's stand on the final solution, Dissanayake said that Sri Lanka should remain a unitary and independent state. However, the JVP believes that public administration should be decentralised when the North-East problem is solved and to meet their socio-economic and cultural aspirations, he said. |
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