JVP calls for Wickremesinghe' s resignation

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 January 2004, 13:30 GMT]
The Sinhala Nationalist and Marxist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Thursday called for the resignation of Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe from the post of Prime Minister and from the current parliament if the Prime Minister wanted to withdraw from the two year-old ceasefire agreement (CFA) he signed with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), media sources said.

The parliamentary group leader of the JVP Mr.Wimal Weerawanse addressing a press briefing Thursday said, "what else Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe could do other than resigning the post of Prime Minister and from the parliament if he is unable to become a party to the CFA without defense ministry portfolio."

Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe had signed the CFA in a disputed manner in order to please the LTTE and now he is attempting to move away from the agreement in a similar manner, said Mr.Weerawanse.

He said there was no transparency on the part of Mr.Wickremasinghe when he signed CFA with the LTTE. Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge as the head of the State was not aware of the true situation at that time. An extensive discussion has not taken in public on the CFA.

He identified the CFA Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe signed with the LTTE as an instrument to transfer the administration of the northeast province to the LTTE.

Mr.Weerawanse appealed to the President not to take the responsibility of the ceasefire agreement at this juncture and urged her to allow the masses to decide in this regard.

The CFA signed two years ago with the LTTE was meant to weaken the military strength of the Sri Lanka government, and the LTTE also wanted it. LTTE's aim would be fulfilled if the defense ministry were returned to the United National Front government, Mr.Weerawanse pointed out.

Referring to the claim by Mr.Wickremasinghe that under the CFA the defense ministry should be kept under the Prime Minister, Mr.Weerawanse said no such clause was included in the CFA.

Mr.Weerawanse asked Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe to point out under which clause it has become impossible for him to carry forward the peace process without the defense ministry portfolio.

Mr.Weerawanse said the main objective of Mr.Wickremasinghe is to maintain the CFA until he became the executive president of the country.