All Party Conference on consensus begins

[January 19, 2006 - 14.00 GMT]

All political parties represented in Parliament, other than the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), participated at the opening this evening (19) of the All Party Conference summoned by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to seek
consensus among political parties on proposals for a negotiated settlement of the ethnic conflict and restore peace, at Colombo today.

This is President Rajapaksa's first major initiative in the search for peace by reaching an understanding among parties of the South, and others represented in parliament, to enable the formulation of an agreed set of proposals to be placed before the LTTE at future negotiations.

Together with the parties of the governing coalition, including the EPDP and National Unity Alliance (NUA), the opposition parties present included the UNP with a four-member delegation led by its leader Mr. Ranil
Wickremesinghe and including Mr. Kabir Hashim, Mr. Mahinda Samarasinghe and Prof. G. L. Peiris. The JVP delegation included its leader Mr. Somawansa
Amarasinghe, accompanied by Propaganda Secretary Mr. Wimal Weerawansa, and politbureau members Anura Dissanayake and Vijitha Herath. The JHU delegation included the leader of its parliamentary group the Ven.
Atureliye Ratana Thera.

Other parties that participated were The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) and the Up Country People's Front.

The conference chaired by President Rajapaksa was a sequel to separate meetings that the President earlier had with leaders of political parties both in government and the opposition on the need to arrive at a Southern
consensus on the basis for negotiations with the LTTE.

The Conference took place at the conclusion of the first two months since President Rajapaksa took office as President on November 19, when he announced his intention to seek a southern consensus on solving the ethnic issue and restoring peace in the country.

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Last Updated Date: January 19, 2005 - 14.00 GMT