No further revisions to SLFP proposals

Manjula Fernando

COLOMBO: The much awaited SLFP counter proposals to the All Party Representative Committee will be handed over to APRC Chairman shortly without further revision, SLFP proposals committee Head Minister Prof. Wisva Warnapala told the Daily News yesterday.

“There will be no modifications,” Prof. Warnapala responded when asked by the Daily News if there will be any alterations to the party proposals.

The Minister was to meet Party General Secretary Maithreepala Sirisena who currently holds the custody of the SLFP final document, yesterday to decide upon a date to hand over the document to Prof. Tissa Vitharana.

Prof. Vitharana said they (the party representatives) were not meeting each other but were awaiting for SLFP suggestions to resume deliberations. The plan is to confine the deliberations on the amendments for two months and seal a deal on a final document that would be carried before future talks.

“We had been waiting for the SLFP proposals for the past two months,” he said.

He added that they had to receive all the documents before any deliberations could be re-started or else the process would have to be repeated all over again.

Ten political parties including the UNP have already handed over their amendments against the Tissa Vitharana proposals for a devolution package that can be used as a basis for any future peace talks.

The UNP alternative group released their proposals on Tuesday. They have also proposed the unit of devolution should be the Province aligning with Vitharana Proposals but in contrast to the suggestion by the SLFP that the unit should be the District.

The JHU and the CWC have withheld their proposals until the SLFP submits its proposals. “They have prepared their documents but say they want to look at the SLFP’s before handing them over.”

TULF, TELO and the TULF leader V. Anandasangaree, who opted not to submit a formal proposal, have conveyed they were very much in agreement with the Tissa Vitharana proposals and it could be used as a sound basis for future talks.

Prof. Vitharana said the parties should try to reach a consensus at the APRC level, without trying to perfect it outside and thus delaying the whole process.