Wickremasinghe addresses rallies in Trinco, Kinniya

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 October 2005, 15:57 GMT]
Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, presidential candidate of the United National Party (UNP) Sunday addressed two election rallies, one in Trincomalee town and other in Kinniya in support of his candidature. Mr.Rauff Hakim, Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) also addressed these meeting along with Mr. Wickremasinghe. Trincomalee meeting was held Sunday morning and Kinniya in the evening.

Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe arrived in Trincomalee by SLAF helicopter around 12 noon and was taken to the venue by a motorcade from Trincomalee private bus stand where the meeting was held.

He said that if he was elected to power he would invite the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) to participate in the peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). He would take steps to involve all parties concerned in the national problem. The political solution to the ethnic question should be found on the federal concept within a united Sri Lanka.

Mr.Rauff Hakim, SLMC leader said the SLMC has come to an understanding with the UNP on several important issues related to the political aspirations of the Muslim community One of the SLMC demands is to confer autonomous powers to Muslim areas in the northeast like granting such powers and political status to Tamil majority areas. UNP has agreed to this and also to include separate delegation of Muslim representatives in the future talks with the LTTE, he said.

The ruling party presidential candidate Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse has joined with Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and Jathika Hela Urumaya, Sinhala nationalist forces that are opposing the concepts of self-determination and traditional homeland of Tamils and Muslims in the northeast province. The SLMC decided not to support Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse because he had alienated the minority communities in Sri Lanka, Mr.Rauff Hakim said.