President gives Jan 23 deadline to APRC

[Thursday, January 10, 2008 - 4.20 GMT]   

President Rajapaksa requested All Party Representative Committee (APRC) Chairman, Minister Prof Tissa Vitharana to hand over the final draft for a political solution agreed upon by APRC to the President by January 23.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday (January 09) summoned party leaders and APRC members at Temple Trees to discuss matters relating to the provision of an acceptable solution to the ethnic conflict in the country.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa intends to go ahead with the process of implementing a political solution after enlightening the Cabinet and other political parties once he receives the final draft of proposals from the APRC Chairman.

The President has pointed out that though political parties are having diverse opinions on the political solution to the ethnic conflict they should be determined to decide on a set of proposals which can be implemented practically.

The APRC which was formed to evolve a political solution under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa had met 57 times to agree upon a final draft with political parties forwarding diverse proposals to the APRC.

APRC Chairman Prof. Tissa Vitharana, Ratnasiri Wickremanayaka,  Maitripala Sirisena, Nimal Siripala de Silva, D.M. Jayaratne, Rohitha Bogollagama, Dullas Alahapperuma and Basil Rajapaksa,   representatives Karu Jayasuriya, Douglas Devananda, D.E.W. Gunasekera, Dinesh Gunawardena, Rizad Badiudeen, P. Rathakrishnan, R. Yogaraj, Abdul Kalam, Champika Ranawaka, Ferial Ashraff, A.H.M. Athaullah, Ranjith Navaratne, Raja Collure and P.M. Podiappuhamy participated at this meeting.