President Chandrika Kumaratunga yesterday urged UNP Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to reconsider his decision to boycott the National Advisory Council on Peace and Reconciliation (NACPR) and quoted the words of LTTE leader Prabhakaran to emphasise the importance of consensus between the major political parties before sitting down for talks.

" We would like to urge the UNP leader as well as party members to reconsider their decision and to participate in this great national endeavour we are starting today of arriving at a national consensus on the country's one single most important problem", the President said addressing the inaugural NACPR meeting at the Presidential Secretariat.

The LTTE leader has stated on numerous occasions that without the two major political forces of the South arriving at a consensus on the resolution of the conflict, no effective solution could be found for the Tamil people's problem, she said.

Quoting a speech made by Mr. Prabhakaran on November 26 last year the President said:

"Whenever the party in power attempts to resolve the Tamil issue, the party in opposition opposes it and derails the effort. This mode of conflict continues even when the opposition becomes the ruling party and attempts reconciliation. This Sinhala political drama with its typical historical pattern has been staged regularly for the last fifty years."

The President further said that as a negative consequence of this chess game, in which the Tamils were used as pawns, several peace efforts had failed, several peace negotiations had collapsed, several peace agreements had been torn apart and several peace pacts had become defunct.

She said despite the UNP leader's view that consultation could take place after the government began talks with the LTTE she still believes the council would serve as an "essential and most important input into the planning of the negotiation process".

President Kumaratunga said the government would engage the LTTE and continue the dialogue with it, through the facilitators, while the government would separately consult with the country through the people's representatives, within the framework of the NACPR.

"The first process is not dependent on the second, neither is the second on the first", she said.

" We are not running away from the sacred responsibility which my government undertook to shoulder for better or for worse, when we once again accepted the reins of government in April this year" she said.

The President stressed her commitment to do all that is required to persuade the LTTE to return to the negotiating table within the framework of a united Sri Lanka, guaranteeing the sovereignty of the State and the security of the Nation and its people.

" It will not be peace at any cost. We will not betray the sovereignty of the country" she said.

SLMC Deputy Leader M.M. Shaheer, who took part on behalf of the SLMC Leader Rauf Hakeem was quite direct in his brief speech where he said a Muslim delegation should be an integral part of the peace delegation.

Referring to Mr. Hakeem's request for a meeting with the President prior to setting up NACPR, he said the SLMC high command came to know later that request did not reach the President in time. He reiterated the SLMC's commitment to peace and to the enforcement of the Oslo declaration.

Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar hinted at the Opposition Leader's decision to boycott the meeting as "undemocratic".
" I earnestly request the Opposition Leader to think again", the minister said.

Referring to the face-to-face debate between US President George Bush and his opponent John Kerry which he himself attended, he said though the debate was hard-hitting, they were cordial to each other.

" They talked and laughed together. But they hit at each other verbally" he said.

The minister said in a mature democracy dialogue and civility is important.

" Nobody should say I am boycotting a dialogue. Nobody loses. Everybody gains by joining in talks", he said.

Minister Kadirgamar said the hallmark of the process should be dialogue and President Kumaratunga is committed to that.
He said that when Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe was Premier, they met several times and had cordial discussions on peace talks.

" They could have joined us, talked and walked out", he said.

" Talking does not mean coming to any conclusions. Dialogue is open-ended" he said.


Not billed to speak, Wimal speaks out

JVP Propaganda Secretary Wimal Weerawansa addressed the gathering although he was not billed to speak at the first meeting of the National Advisory Council on Peace and Reconciliation.

In a strongly-worded speech he stressed the party's commitment in maintaining the cease-fire agreement was not because of fear of the guns of the LTTE. "It is because we are committed to peace that we adhere to the cease-fire agreement, not because we are afraid of the guns of a certain group of people", Mr. Weerawansa said.

He said though the JVP was sitting on this council where there were different parties it did not mean that all shared the same opinion regarding the peace process. " We have differences of opinions but that should not be an obstacle for peace talks" he said.

Mr. Weerawansa urged any final solution should safeguard the sovereignty and the national security of the country.


SLMC pulls out but rebel attends

In a dramatic move the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) took a decision not to take part in the National Advisory Council on Peace and Reconciliation (NACPR) till it held a meeting with the President.

A senior member of the party took part in yesterday's inaugural meeting without the party leader's permission.

An enraged SLMC leadership it is learnt is planning to take disciplinary action against the errant member N.M. Shaheed.
The move which is believed to have been manoeuvred by a few government strongmen and a Colombo based political broker, analysts feel is likely to harden the SLMC stance as regards the NACPR.