'Rajapaksa sustains majority votes' - UPFA minister

[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 November 2007, 18:18 GMT]
Addressing a live political discussion programme in the Sri Lankan state-run ITN (Independent Television Network) TV, Thursday night, the Sri Lankan Minister of Education, Susil Premajayantha, assured viewers that the SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa has sustained sufficient number of votes, more than 117, to pass the 2008 budget in the parliament, coming Monday. Mr. Susil Premajayantha, who appeared in the "Thulawa" programme, said that the Rajapaksa government was not dependent on the JVP to pass the budget.

"It is upto the JVP, to decide whom they want to support," he told the viewers.

However, informed political sources said the UPFA was negotiating with the JVP Thursday night.

The JVP has earlier put forward four demands to the Rajapaksa's UPFA government in order to extend their support to the ruling alliance in passing the 2008 Budget:

1. Abrogate the February 2002 Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE),
2. Dissolve the All Party Representatives Committee (APRC),
3. Resolve to defeat the LTTE militarily to safeguard the sovereignty of Sri Lanka
4. Disallow intervening humanitarian visits by U.N. representatives and the International NGOs.