PA to sign agreement with Marxists

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 September 2001, 07:18 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government said Saturday that it intends to sign an agreement with the Marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna to form an interim coalition to run the country for an year. The signing of the agreement, however, will be subject to approval by the parliamentary group of the People's Alliance, according to Prime Minister, Ratnasiri Wickremanayaka. The JVP's General Secretary, Mr. Tilvin Silva, said that his party will sit in the opposition and extend conditional support to the PA to run the government during the 'probation period'. The JVP is against peace talks with the Liberation Tigers to end the island¹s conflict. The party is also strongly opposed to economic reforms recommended by the IMF and the World Bank.

PA sources said that the government's position on the JVP's suggestions was handed over to Mr. Wimal Weerawanse, the propaganda secretary of the Marxist party Friday night. A Peopleís Alliance spokesman said that the agreement on the interim government would be signed under the supervision of monitoring body.

The JVP said that the government has agreed in principle to cancel the referendum, summon parliament on or before September 7 and set up independent commissions for the Police, Judiciary, Elections, public administration. The government, however, had not agreed to an independent commission on media.

The PA government is yet to issue an official statement in regard to the outcome of the talks between PA and JVP.

Meanwhile the state radio said a Memorandum of Understanding between the People's Alliance and the JVP will be signed in the presence of religious leaders and other witnesses once the Cabinet and PA parliamentary group approved the JVP's proposals.