UNP volte face on Federalism a ploy - Minister

Rajmi Manatunga

COLOMBO: Acting Information and Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene yesterday charged the United National Party (UNP) for changing its policy on the national problem merely to please political parties opposed to federalism.

The Minister who is also a member of the UNP Democratic Group told the media yesterday that his party has of late shifted its position that federalism was the solution to the ethnic problem and compromised for devolution within the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

"Today, the UNP states that they never talked of federalism and that they are agreeable to a power-sharing arrangement in keeping with the 13th Amendment. But, they have forgotten that the Oslo peace talks initiated by the UNP Government were based entirely on federalism," he said.

Abeywardene said the principal cause behind the UNP's change of policy was the continuous defeats experienced by the LTTE recently at the hands of the Security Forces.

"This has made them give up the federalism concept and settle for a more restricted form of devolution to solicit the support of political parties aligned with the Government.

But, the Government has always maintained that it is committed to maximum devolution for the Tamil community without giving into the LTTE."