'UNP, JVP don't have remote chance of beating UPFA'

Wijitha NAKKAWITA

The Western Provincial Council election campaign entering its final week for propaganda meetings and house to house canvassing by the candidates showed no change from the previous week, but articulated the hackneyed political gimmicks like UNP and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe challenging President Mahinda Rajapaksa for a public debate on the issue whether or not the Ceasefire Agreement he signed with the LTTE boss Prabhakaran was a betrayal of the country.

Commenting on the UNP leader's challenge for a debate, Minister of Mass Media and Information Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said the President would not accept the challenge, but the UPFA General Secretary and Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha said he was ready to have a public debate with Wickremesinghe.

UNP was totally responsible for the betrayal of the country to the LTTE as one of its former Presidents R. Premadasa had supplied the terrorists with a large stock of arms and ammunition and helped the LTTE by asking India to withdraw the Indian Peace Keeping Force that had almost decimated the terrorist group.

The Ceasefire Agreement had clearly helped the LTTE to control territory demarcated in it for them while the Armed Forces or the Government agencies were kept out of such areas, Yapa said.