Sri Lankan President Rejects Leftist Party ProposalsSri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has rejected the key proposals by leftist JVP or the People's Liberation Front to overcome the political turmoil in the country, officials said.Kumaratunga said in a letter on Friday to the JVP that it is not possible to implement the party's proposals which included the formation of a probation government, reconvening of the parliament and the establishment of an independent commission. Kumaratunga suspended parliament on July 10 for two months in a bid to avoid an almost certain defeat of her People's Alliance government in a vote of no-confidence after it lost its majority in parliament in June following the withdrawal of the main Muslim Congress party. Earlier this month, the JVP which held crucial 10 seats in Parliament said that they were willing to form a probation government for a limited period of time. After a positive response from the UNP for talks on Thursday, Kumaratunga named on Friday a six-member negotiating team headed by Agricultural Minister D.M. Jayaratne which will hold talks with a four-member UNP team on Saturday till Tuesday. Prime Minister Wickremanayake invited the opposition on Tuesday for unity talks in a bid to form a "government of consensus". |
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