UNP wants President to disclose peace agenda

The United National Party (UNP) has requested President Mahinda Rajapakse to disclose to the country his peace agenda and the stand on the peace process.

UNP Deputy Secretary General Tissa Attanayake told a media conference at the Opposition Leader's office yesterday that his Party remained committed to achieving peace.

Attanayake pointed out that the UNP was never interested in gaining political mileage by creating chaos, but always had extended the hand of support to the Government from the time of signing the Liam Fox agreement and bringing Norway as a facilitator.

"We will not change our stand or alter our commitment for peace. But we should know the Agenda of President Rajapakse in this respect," he said.

He said it was necessary to know the direction in which the Rajapakse administration was going vis-a-vis the peace process. While addressing Parliament, the President said that he intended to bring amendments to the Ceasefire Agreement.

Meeting the diplomatic community, the President has said he wanted to continue with the existing Ceasefire Agreement, Attanayake said. He told the media the Party was collecting information on the violation of fundamental human rights both in the North-East and the South, as their information revealed that over 400,000 people have been disenfranchised by fraudulent means and by intimidation and threats.

"The Elections Commissioner had repeatedly said that he would have re-polls in polling stations where there were no free and fair elections and where electors were threatened, but he has not acted as promised. We will explore what legal action could be taken and by such action, inform the international community about the true position." Referring to the LTTE threats to the people in the North and East, Attanayake said: "The UNP has become the most dangerous party in the eyes of the LTTE.

They knew that if Ranil Wickremesinghe came to power, the LTTE would be forced to give up arms and would have to fall in line with the dictates of the South which had the backing of the international community. Hence, they prevented people voting at the Presidential Election by intimidation."

He said this has disproved the allegation against the UNP by the JVP-JHU-SLFP combine. It proved beyond all doubts that there was no "Ali-Koti Givisuma" as they claimed and the UNP was the most feared and hated political party in the South in the eyes of the LTTE, he added.

Attanayake said the UNP has decided to suspend the membership of Western Province Member Thushara Perera, Kuliyapitiya Urban Council Chairman Shelton N. Peiris and Dayatissa Liyanagunawardene of Pelmadulla for violating the party discipline.