'National Govt. only solution'

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, JULY 25. The attack by the LTTE on the Bandaranaike International Airport and the adjoining airbase on Tuesday has prompted renewed appeals to the two main political parties in Sri Lanka to join hands in a national government. In a front-paged editorial today, the daily Island said a national government was the only answer to the problems facing the country, but if that was an impossibility, asked the two parties to at least arrive at a ``working arrangement''.

``Sri Lanka is once again in a desperate situation, mainly due to the confrontational and aggressive politics of the PA and the UNP. The only pragmatic and sensible thing to do is for the parties that still retain a semblance of their democratic character to get together, if not for a national government, for some kind of working arrangement to tide over the crisis,'' the paper said.

``When we proposed the formation of a national government (a few weeks ago) to fight the common enemy, the leaders turned a blind eye. This (the attack) is the legacy of Sri Lankan politics and we have earned it by dividing ourselves along petty lines,'' said the Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse.

A UNP parliamentarian was quoted in the Daily Mirror lamenting that if the parties did not come together quickly, there would be no country for either to rule. ``The people will no doubt curse the politicians for failing to look beyond party lines and put the country before everything else,'' said Mr. Rukman Senanayake, a UNP MP from Polonnaruwa district.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : Baffling security lapse at Colombo airport
Next     : Britain offers to help