Attempts to avert major showdown between JVP-SLFP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 13 April 2004, 07:33 GMT]
Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge has appointed a five-member committee with the Prime Minister Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse at the helm in a bid to resolve the crisis within the recently formed United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government following differences between the major constituents, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), political sources said.

Major differences between the two constituent parties of the UPFA last week arose on matters relating to subjects assigned to ministries designated for the JVP parliamentarians and appointing secretaries to various ministries and state corporations and other institutions by the President without consulting the JVP, sources said.

Ministers Douglas Devananda of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), Susil Premajayantha, Secretary of the UPFA, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle of the SLFP and Ms Ferial Ashraff of the National Unity Alliance (NUA) are the other members of the five member-committee, sources said.

Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge is expected to fix the date for a discussion with the JVP leaders only after receiving the report of the five- member committee, sources said.

In another development Ms.Chandrika Kumaratunge has informed the JVP leadership that she is prepared to summon the Operational Committee of the UPFA to find a compromise to the current differences between the two parties instead of the executive committee of the UPFA as requested by the latter, sources said

Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge through the UPFA Secretary Mr.Susil Premajayantha has informed the JVP leadership to send suitable dates to fix the meeting of the operational committee.

Meanwhile the parliamentary group leader of the JVP Mr.Wimal Weerawanse said differences of opinion could be resolved if the SLFP leaders accepted suggestions made by the JVP taking into consideration the fact that his party immensely contributed to the victory of the UPFA at the recent general election.