Don't seek Norwegian assistance, JVP tells Rajapakse

[TamilNet, Thursday, 24 November 2005, 16:22 GMT]
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the Sinhala extreme nationalist party, Thursday said it would firmly oppose Sri Lankan President Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse seeking assistance from the Norwegian Government to facilitate in the peace process between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL). Mr. Somawanse Amarasinghe, the leader of the JVP reiterated his party's position at a press briefing held at the National Library auditorium in Colombo.

In his first press briefing since Mahinda Rajapakse's assumption of office on Sunday, Amerasinghe said that President's election manifesto was released on the basis of the agreement reached between the JVP and Rajapakse.



"Finding a solution to the ethnic crisis on the basis of a unitary state was the key component of the agreement. The JVP has also opposed to the Norway's facilitation. Therefore our party would not change from its position agreed upon in the agreement reached with the President," the JVP leader added.

Several JVP Parliamentarians who were Ministers during the Kumaratunga regime were also present at the briefing.

The JVP has not accepted any ministerial portfolios in the Rajapakse government and preferred to remain as independent Parliamentarians, JVP sources said.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian embassy spokesperson Tom Knappskog reiterated the Norwegian stance to Colombo media that the Royal Norwegian Goverment would continue to offer its services as the facilitator in the peace process if the Government of Rajapakse and the LTTE seek the help of the Norwegian Government. He added that the Norwegians are closely monitoring the political developments in Colombo.