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President Mahinda Rajapaksa at a special meeting yesterday evening at the President’s Office requested the UNP to support him to take forward the peace process.
Mr. Rajapaksa held talks with a UNP delegation headed by its Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya to brief it on the war situation in the North and East.
The Government also obtained the assistance of military officials to explain the military victories gained during the recent fighting with the LTTE in areas such as Muttur and the Jaffna peninsula, using visuals.
At the meeting, Mr. Rajapaksa vehemently denied the LTTE allegation that the security forces targeted a school in Mullaitivu killing 61 students. He impressed upon the meeting that current attacks were aimed at resisting Tiger hostilities.
Chief of Defence Staff Donald Perera also countered the LTTE allegation saying that what they targeted was a well- identified Tigers’ training centre. Mr. Perera presented the visuals of the camp before and after the attack to support the argument.
The President requested the Opposition to make representation to the committee of experts assigned to draft a constitutional framework to solve the ethnic conflict, highlighting the need for an all- party approach to the issue.
In response, the UNP delegation pledged their unconditional support to the Government while requesting Mr. Rajapaksa again to come up with his stand on the issue.
UNP MP T. Maheswaran pointed out to the President that a large number of civilians had been killed in Jaffna during the last five days due to fighting between the security forces and the LTTE, and asked for assistance to recover their bodies.
The security officials said the Government was only resisting Tiger attacks.
MPs Prof. G.L. Peiris, M.H. Mohamed, Gamini Lokuge and Milinda Moragoda also participated in the meeting, and the Government delegation included Ministers Maithripala Sirisena, Jeyaraj Fernandupulle and MP Dulles Alahapperuma. |
