International   

Sri Lankan Government preparing fresh proposals

By V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO, AUG. 5. The Sri Lankan Government today said it was "developing a fresh set of proposals" on an interim administration for the country's northern and eastern districts, that would form Colombo's position whenever talks recommence with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Declining to spell out the details of the proposals under preparation, the Cabinet spokesman, Mangala Samaraweera, told reporters that the Government's offer will be a development on the draft constitutions prepared since 1994, encompassing subjects such as reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement.

Calling for "greater flexibility" on the part of the LTTE to resume the stalled peace talks, Mr. Samaraweera said: "The Government had been flexible in every possible manner." The move by the Government to get ready its proposals would mean that when talks resume there are two documents to be discussed — the LTTE's proposals for an Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) and those being prepared by the Government by a legal team. The LTTE, which submitted its ISGA proposals last October, described it as a negotiable document.

On the President, Chandrika Kumaratunga's decision to step down from the leadership of the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance, Mr. Samaraweera said Ms. Kumaratunga had resigned "to free herself from day-to-day politics" and "spend quality time" on issues of governance and the peace process.

'Differences sorted out'

Conceding that there were disagreements between the two main UPFA allies - the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the JVP - Mr. Samaraweera added, "these have been sorted out," as Ms. Kumaratunga "will consult all parties concerned" before a final settlement was reached. "There will be no unilateralism," he said.

While the Government downplayed the differences with the JVP, the issue of succession to the post of the leader of the UPFA remains undecided. Among the names doing the political rounds are Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapakse, former Prime Minister, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Tourism and Investment Promotion Minister, Anura Bandaranaike, who is also Ms. Kumaratunga's brother, the SLFP's General Secretary, Maithripala Sirisena and the Secretary General of the UPFA, Susil Premajayantha.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

• U.K. plays down 'plot' to bomb Heathrow
• No word on status of negotiations
• Mehdi men take on U.S. troops in Najaf
• Russia scraps soviet era benefits
• Jakarta ignores clemency pleas
• Clean windows: just what the doctor ordered
• Guantanamo abuse 'may be war crime'
• Hafsa has a baby
• Terrorism: U.S. lauds Pakistan's efforts
• 13 soldiers die in chopper crash
• Missouri bans gay marriage
• Sri Lankan Government preparing fresh proposals
• KGL representative may meet mediator today
• Musharraf denies seeking timeframe
• Fernandes issue no longer active: U.S.

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu