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President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga addressing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s (SLFP) 13th National Convention said that the Government is still willing to negotiate with the LTTE and continue the peace process. The party convention was held yesterday with the participation of more than 100,000 party members from all over the country. Representatives from 20 foreign countries also attended the gathering. “The people are clamouring for peace and for the sake of the Nation, we are willing to enter into negotiations for a political settlement acceptable to all communities to end this 18-year old war, which has destroyed thousands of lives and property,” the President was quoted as saying. “The cost of living has risen sharply due to expenditure incurred on the North-East war and due to the price increases in the world market,” the President added. She assured that the cost of living would be brought down with the presentation of the next budget. The Government will also raise the salaries of public and private sector workers before the end of the year. She said that the Sri Lanka Freedom Party was a party that is dedicated to safeguard democracy and the rights of the people. The party during its 50-year history has proved that it is a people’s party. "The late Premier S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike founded the party as a force of the common people and it would continue to carry this tradition," she added. The President also said the Peoples’ Alliance, which is a collection of parties under the leadership of the SLFP, was able to govern the country for six years without any crisis. "During that period we gave the people of this country the freedom to live," she noted. The President said that she took up the leadership of the SLFP following the demise of her mother, Sirimavo Bandaranaike and that she would never betray the faith of those who elected her to the Presidency.
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President
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga greeting thousands of party supporters.
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