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ANURA AND OTHER SLFP LEADERS VISITING INDIA TO ALERT THAT A FOUNDATION FOR A SEPARATE STATE BEING LAID IN SRI LANKA
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles Presidential Advisor and former Speaker Anura Bandaranaike said that a three member delegation of Sri Lanka Freedom Party would alert the Indian Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Leader of Opposition and other party leaders about what they called the extremely dangerous situation in Sri Lanka of laying the foundation of a separate state in the island nation with the connivance of the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration. He cautioned that the separate state formed directly or indirectly, would have a grave affect on future Indo- Lanka relations. Mr. Bandaranaike was speaking to a broadcasting station before taking a flight to New Delhi from Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport with two other parliamentarians, Dr. Sarath Amunugama and Chief government Whip Mangala Samaraweera. Describing Sri Lanka’s current situation as extremely dangerous since the foundation was being laid for a separate state or something close to a separate state Mr. Bandaranaike said though that would not affect the broker Norway, it would certainly affect neighbor, India. Asked why they were going to India when India was not even directly involved in the peace process he said everything that happened in Sri lanka was directly connected to India and for anything to succeed not India’s permission but India’s blessings were necessary for Sri Lanka. . He said that’s why the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his emissary were traveling back and forth to India on his peace process in the recent past. . Mr. Bandaranaike said even after humbly prostrating on the floor in worship and praying for a high level Indian participation in the Oslo conference Milinda Moragoda miserably failed, last week. He said under any kind of circumstances India would not participate in any event where the terrorists of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were involved. When the BBC’s Sandeshaya interviewer pointed out that the SLFP was keeping company with the JVP that was against the peace process and now it was trying to approach India who said it was not against the peace process it was somewhat contradictory Bandaranaike said it was wrong to say that the SLFP were against the peace process. Insisting they were only representing the President, the former Speaker said they were not against peace talks but the way it was being done currently. Mr. Bandaranaike said India was closely watching what was happening in Sri Lanka. He said by allowing to establish Customs, Police , Army, Navy and their own Courts to the terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam the government of Ranil Wickremesinghe has allowed the foundation for a separate state that would become a great blow to the future relations of India and Sri lanka. Mr. Bandaranaike said , the delegation wished to meet India’s Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Singh, the Leader of Opposition Sonia Gandhi , CPI (M) leaders and senior government officials. (EOM) (02/12/02 go2lanka.com) |