External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday said that bilateral talks between the government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on the national issue could take place simultaneously.
Prof. Peiris emphasized that the PSC was not a substitute for the two-sided talks between the government and the TNA.
Addressing the Colombo-based diplomatic community at the External Affairs Ministry, Prof. Peiris assured that bilateral talks between the government and other parties, particularly the TNA and PSC deliberations would help speed up the process.
The minister discussed issues, ranging from post-war recovery process to the ‘accountability issues’ regarding Sri Lanka’s successful war against the LTTE.
The TNA on August 5 declared that it would pull out of reconciliation talks unless the government within 10 days responded to its proposals on devolution of powers, a core issue.
The TNA accused President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government of carrying out what it called a deceitful process in talks which had reached their tenth round.
"While attempting to show the world that the government was engaged in a political process as an integral part of reconciliation, what the government was really engaged in was no more than a mere facade," the TNA said in a statement.
Expressing confidence that the new move would help resurrect talks, Prof. Peiris called the government’s proposal both prudent and pragmatic. The bottomline was that if they had waited till the conclusion of bilateral talks to begin PSC deliberations it would only delay the entire process, Prof. Peiris said, emphasizing whatever the bilateral arrangement they had, that had to be subject to parliamentary approval.
Minister Peiris said that the proposed PSC comprising 31 members would decide on political and constitutional measures required to ‘put in place a durable and equitable solution.’
Commenting on the ongoing electoral process, Prof. Peiris said that election to the Northern provincial Council could be held in January or February next year. The eradication of terrorism had paved the way for the revival of the electoral process in that part of the country, Prof. Peiris said. The successful conclusion of LG polls in the Northern Province recently, with political parties outside the ruling UPFA winning the most number of LGbodies had given the lie to the claim of Sri Lanka’s detractors that the government would take control of those institutions by illegal means. Prof. Peiris said that it had been a triumph for democracy. Now that the TNA had secured a majority of local bodies in the Northern Province, it had a responsibility by people. The minister said that it was easy to criticize and condemn the government while being in the Opposition but now the TNA had an opportunity to show what it could do.
Source: www.island.lk (25/08/2011)
