Hakim to prepare alternate proposals for Muslims

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 November 2003, 13:42 GMT]
The leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and Minister Mr.Rauff Hakim said Monday that he did not want to comment on the Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) proposals made by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Mr. Hakim expressed this opinion to media persons on his return from London Monday afternoon after a devolution study tour in Britain at the invitation of the United Kingdom government, sources said.

However he would submit alternate proposals to meet the aspirations of the Muslims in the northeast, media sources said.

Mr. Hakim added that he would be meeting all Muslim parliamentarians on Wednesday and would formulate the alternate proposals to the ISGA of the LTTE.

He would submit his proposals to the government and to the LTTE through Norwegian facilitator after holding discussion with Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Vidar Helgessen who is due in Colombo on November 10, media sources said.

Earlier, Mr. Hakim had said he would be meeting Minister Mr. A.L.M.Athaullah, leader of the breakaway faction of the SLMC, named Ashraff Congress, and his two parliamentarians on Wednesday, sources said.