Speaker summons first party leaders’ meeting

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 May 2004, 12:03 GMT]
The new Speaker of the Sri Lanka Parliament Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara has officially summoned the first meeting of leaders of political parties represented in the parliament Monday 17th noon, political sources in Colombo said.

Mr.Lokkubandara was elected Speaker of the thirteenth parliament by one vote majority at the nine hour marathon stormy session of the first meeting of the parliament held on April 22nd. He put off the election of the Deputy Speaker for May 18th soon after he assumed office.

The purpose of the first party leaders’ meeting is to finalize the agenda for the sitting week of the parliament, which is to meet on May 18th, parliamentary sources said.

Parliamentary Secretary General Ms Priyani Wijesekara said the Speaker has summoned the party leaders meeting as the Committee on Parliamentary Business has not yet been appointed.

The invitation to attend party leaders meeting has gone to eighteen leaders. They are:

Prime Minister Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse (SLFP), Leader of the House Mr.Maithiripala Sirisena (UPFA), Opposition Leader Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe (United National Party), Ms Ferial Ashraff (National Unity Alliance), Mr.Dinesh Gunawardene (Mahajana Eksath Peramuna), Douglas Devavananda (Eelam Peoples Democratic Party), Prof. Tissa Vitharana (Lanka Sama Samaja Party), Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan (TELO), Mr. Dew Gunasekara (Communist Party) Mr.P.Chandrasekaram (Upcountry Peoples Front), Mr.Arumugam Thondaman (Ceylon Workers Congress), Mr.Suresh Premachandran (EPRLF) Mr.G.G.Ponnamabalam (All Ceylon Tamil Congress) Venerable Athuraliya Rathana Thera (Jathika Hela Urumaya), Mr.Wimal Weerawanse (JVP) Mr.R.Sampanthan (TULF), Mr. Mavai S.Senathirajah (Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi) and Mr.Rauff Hakim (SLMC).