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Grand coalition on the cards: Colombo

V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan Government has said a "grand coalition" was on the cards with the support of key minority parties — the Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), in the coming months. Denying reports in the media of a possible national government with the main Opposition United National Party (UNP) or a snap Parliamentary poll, Media Minister and Cabinet Spokesperson Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said there was "no such necessity. We have not even thought about it. We are stronger and are going towards a grand coalition." The CWC and the SLMC, he said, were supportive of the Government. However, he declined comment on whether the two parties would join the Government. He would only say: "Everyone is invited." The comments, at a press conference, are against the backdrop of recent meetings between President Mahinda Rajapakse and the leadership of the CWC and the SLMC. The two parties backed the Opposition UNP in the 2004 Parliamentary election and its leader Ranil Wickremesinghe in the 2005 Presidential election, which was won by Mr. Rajapakse. Mr. Yapa scotched speculation of a snap parliamentary poll, saying the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) enjoyed a majority in the 225-member Parliament. Asked about the progress of the peace process between Colombo and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), he said the Tigers had "violated the ceasefire agreement 31 times" since last month's talks in Geneva. The violations related to child recruitment and human rights and the Government had conveyed its position to the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission, he said.

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