"SL Govt ready with alternate peace proposals"- Samaraweera

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 October 2004, 00:20 GMT]
The United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government Thursday announced that it is ready with its alternative proposals to the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). "However, we do not know whether the LTTE would accept the government alternate proposals," said Media Minister Mr.Mangala Samaraweera at a press briefing held Thursday in Colombo, sources said.

Mr.Samaraweera further said that government's alternate peace proposals would be explained to the people of the country shortly and accused LTTE for not being sincere in the peace efforts.

Mr. Samaraweera said that the Sri Lanka government will amend the Local Government Election Ordinance to direct all political parties to allocate one-third of nominations to women candidates in their lists. He said currently two percent of the local councillors are women although 51 percent of the population is women.

He added there was no difference of opinion between Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a major constituent of the UPFA government and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) over the question of 10,000 rural tanks' restoration project in Sri Lanka. Mr.Anura Dissanayake, Minister of Agriculture who is a leading member of the JVP is implementing the project.

Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge earlier accused JVP minister for not being transparent in the implementation of the project. However at the cabinet meeting held Wednesday she is reported to have withdrawn the allegation. Mr.Mangala Samaraweera made the announcement Thursday that there was no rift in the government over the 10,000 tanks' restoration project, sources said.