DLF welcomes President's views on devolution

The Democratic Left Front (DLF) has welcomed President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga's views on the question of devolution of power and peace process at the SLFP Women's Conference on March 8 and the resolutions passed at the SLFP party convention.

"DLF is of the view that if parties concerned, are committed to work towards peace, our party would extend its fullest cooperation to achieve this goal. However, if more factors are bundled together with the peace process and devolution of power, then complications would arise," states a DLF press release issued by Vasudeva Nanayakkara, General Secretary and Quintus Liyanage, National Organiser.

The release:

"Our party too has, many other issues, about which we are concerned, including the amending of the constitution to make Sri Lanka more democratic and transparent. However, we feel that attempts to attach any other issues to the peace process, would be unwise at the present moment.

Even though we earnestly desire to see an immediate end to the Executive Presidency, we would like to keep it separate from the peace process. We rate peace as rank one, before the Executive Presidency issue.

Experts have opined that in trying to find a solution to the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka, parties should base their goal on minimum number of factors as possible and reach agreement without tying issues which are not directly related to ethnic problem. In the political history of our country, we have suffered, due to lack of confidence and coordination among political parties and other stake holders, in finding solutions to the ethnic/national question.

Conditions should not be allowed to destroy the very peace process that have come thus far. Our party wishes to reiterate that we would go any length, meet any resistance and join any group, to take the peace process forward, if parties concerned, do not impose any other conditions that may lead to any compromise of our party policies.

Our party appeals to all the peace loving citizens, democratic forces, political parties and civil society to endorse the proposal of President Chandrika Kumaratunga at the SLFP convention, in finding a way forward to our national question."