SLMC gets ready for general election
[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 November 2003, 13:41 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, constituent of the ruling United National Front government Sunday said it has alerted its rank and file to get prepared to face a snap general election if the President and Prime Minister failed to reach an accord to resolve the current political crisis during the second round of talks scheduled to be held on Tuesday 18.
The high command of the SLMC issued this notice to party organizers in the country following five hour marathon meeting of the party's politburo held Saturday night at party's headquarters -'Darussalam'- in Colombo. The meeting commenced around 9 p.m. on Saturday and came to an end Sunday around 3 a.m., party sources said. SLMC leader and minister Mr.Rauff Hakim presided over the meeting. The politburo decided to accept invitation to meet the President with regard to current political situation if it is addressed to the party and called on SLMC parliamentarians not to accept any individual invitation sent by the President to them for such discussion. The party politburo would thereafter decide the composition of the SLMC delegation, which is to meet the President, party sources said. The politburo had also appointed a committee to brief the other political parties represented in parliament about the alternate response of the SLMC to the proposals of the government and LTTE for the Northeast interim administrative structure to meet the legitimate rights and aspirations of Muslims, the sources said Mr. Hakim later briefing the media persons said that his party would try to bring a settlement between the two major parties to an understanding to take forward the stalled peace talks. In the meantime the party high command has alerted its rank and file to face a snap general election, he added.
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