The Hindu : SLFP, JVP come together with `five basic objectives'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004

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SLFP, JVP come together with `five basic objectives'

By V.S. Sambandan

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna general secretary, Tilvin Silva (right),and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party general secretary, Maithripala Sirisena, signing the MoU in Colombo on Tuesday.--Photo: Sriyantha Walpola

COLOMBO, JAN. 20. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the radical Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) today signed a political alliance to form a combined front — the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) with the aim of defeating the ruling United National Front and "establishing a government'' based on "five noble objectives''.

The general secretaries of the SLFP and the JVP, Maithripala Sirisena and Tilvin Silva, signed a seven-page memorandum of understanding (MoU) marking the culmination of yearlong talks. The document spelt out the broad objectives on the economy, ethnic harmony, democracy, culture and foreign policy, but did not go into the political or electoral specifics. A senior leader of the alliance told The Hindu that political discussions were continuing.

The UPFA said it was for "entering into a political dialogue with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and other relevant groups'' and agreed to "abide by the results of the negotiation process and the wish of the majority of the people''.

The UPFA's position differs from that adopted by the Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe's ruling UNF of accepting the LTTE as the sole representatives to negotiate a political settlement for the decades-long separatist crisis.

It is still unclear if the UPFA will accept the LTTE as the sole negotiating team for the Tamils, which was the basis on which the rebels started talks with Mr. Wickremesinghe. Sharpening their criticism of the Mr. Wickremesinghe's peace process, the SLFP and the JVP said the ethnic question had taken "an undesirable turn'' and that the UNF had "set out a path to a separate state''.

The LTTE's counter-proposals, the UPFA said: "Go far beyond the resolution of the problems of the Tamil people and other minority communities and create the basis for a separate state''. No compromise was reached on the crucial issue of how the ethnic conflict should be solved. The SLFP's view that devolution, with a move away from the unitary state, is the basis for a solution and the JVP's stand that decentralisation within a unitary structure will suffice, continue to be held by them. "However, both agreed that divergence of views regarding the final settlement should not be an obstacle to their journey together to overcome the serious crisis faced by Sri Lanka'' the agreement said.

The UPFA criticised the ceasefire agreement signed by Mr. Wickremesinghe and the LTTE leader, V. Prabakaran, as one that "did not have the approval'' of the head of state, the Cabinet or Parliament and one that had been "flagrantly violated'' by the LTTE. Criticising the UNF further, the document said the "separatist LTTE forces'' had become stronger, "laid claim to a naval zone'', "rendered ineffective'' Sri Lankan troops in the north and east, "abducted'' thousands of Tamil children, `extorted' money and `harassed' Muslims and Sinhalese "to drive them out of the Eastern Province''.

The foreign policy, the UPFA said, should be based on "safeguarding sovereignty and independence while maintaining friendship and goodwill with all states and international organisations''. The UPFA's foreign policy "will not be aligned or subservient to any camp'' and "should ensure'' that it "should not endanger the sovereignty and independence of our neighbouring states, but should preserve and expand existing goodwill'', the document said.

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SLFP, JVP come together with `five basic objectives'