Solution to conflict our top priority: PA

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, SEPT. 6. The People's Alliance Government today denied it had compromised on the resolution of Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict in order to strike a deal with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and to remain in power.

``Our main priority even today is to find a solution to the ethnic conflict,'' asserted Mr. Mangala Samaraweera, who resigned earlier this week as Minister for Urban Development to pave the way for a reconstitution of the Cabinet in line with the demands of the JVP.

In a pact signed on Wednesday, the JVP has agreed to extend support to the minority government for one year.

One of the clauses in the ``Memorandum of Understanding'' is that during this period, the Government should ``not bring in proposals for devolution of power or any other proposals that may lead to a controversy until such time that a broad consensus is arrived at through a wide-ranging dialogue with the participation of all segments of society aimed at reaching a reasonable resolution of the national question''.

Copies of the MoU were made available to the press today. The Minister for Posts and Telecom, Mr. Nimal Sripala de Silva, said in case the Government managed to talk to the LTTE and arrive at a solution to the conflict within the one year period, thereby making Constitutional changes necessary, the Government could take recourse to another clause in the MoU that says that any of the provisions in it could be amended by ``mutual agreement.''

The Minister argued there was nothing in the MoU that prevented the Government from talking to the LTTE. He dismissed a statement by the JVP earlier this week that it would permit peace talks only if the LTTE renounced its claim for a separate state. ``Where does it say so in the MoU? We are talking only about this agreement, not any other statements.''

Mr. Samaraweera claimed the phrase ``wide-ranging dialogue with the participation of all segments of society'' in the clause on devolution proposals included the LTTE.

He reiterated an appeal to the opposition United National Party (UNP) to join hands with the Government in issuing an invitation to the LTTE for peace talks.

The proposed invitation, in the form of a joint statement, was agreed upon by the PA and UNP during their power- sharing talks and was to be issued in the event of an overall agreement between the two sides. The former Minister said notwithstanding the failure of the talks, the two sides could still put out the invitation, copies of which were also released to the press today.

Besides inviting the LTTE to talks ``at the earliest'', the proposed joint statement also offers that a ``mutually agreed temporary halt to offensive military operations be declared with immediate effect'' and that ``necessary measures be taken to alleviate any hardships to civilians affected by the ongoing conflict''.

Included in the PA-JVP MoU is an undertaking by the Government to introduce legislation by September 24 to set up independent commissions for the public service, judicial service, elections, and the police. The Government has also agreed to cut down the number of Cabinet members and Deputy Ministers from 44 and 35 respectively, to 20 each. The Ministers, including the Prime Minister, as well as the President and PA members of Parliament will take a 50 per cent cut in their salaries. In addition, a ceiling is to be imposed on foreign travel at state expense for Ministers, MPs and officials, there is to be a ban on importing luxury vehicles for Ministers and senior officials and a ceiling on their fuel allowance.

The PA Government has also agreed to ``withhold'' privatisation of state enterprises for the one year period.

For its part, the JVP, besides extending support to the PA Government for one year, has agreed not to support ``any subversive line of action'' by other parties that would result in paralysing the government and the economy.

The PA members present at the press conference justified the agreement on the grounds that it would bring political `stability' and `predictability' in governance, thereby making Sri Lanka attractive to potential foreign investors.

However, it is not certain that the pact will last all of a year. It is more likely that the President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, will use the pact to help her minority government survive Parliament till October, when she can dissolve the House, or till the time it becomes conducive for her and the PA to fight a general election. Analysts are giving the pact six months to break down in mutual recrimination.

Parliament, which was prorogued in July, reconvened today a day ahead of schedule as demanded by the JVP.

With the PA-JVP pact sealed and signed and the future of the no- confidence motion spearheaded by the UNP now uncertain, the session was a tame affair.

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Section  : International
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