UNP(D) reiterates support to President

Mohammed Naalir

COLOMBO: The United National Party (Democratic Group) yesterday reiterated its unstinted support to President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Government declaring that at no time would it leave room for an ouster of the present regime.

Addressing the media at Seth Sevana, Enterprise Development Minister Mano Wijeratne said the UNP Democratic Group MPs led by Minister Karu Jayasuriya would never join horse trading and abetting to topple the Government to grab power.

Instead they will strengthen the hand of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to find a solution to the more than two decades long ethnic conflict. Minister Wijeratne charged that some UNPers were trying to buy over Minsters and Parliamentarians. Each Parliamentarian has been offered one million dollars.

The Government under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa is striving to put end to the deep-rooted ethnic conflict and to create an environment in which innocent Tamils, Sinhala and Muslim communities would be able to live in unity and harmony.

The UNPers also must explain to the people why they are attempting to topple the Government and come to power at a time the Government is expanding its efforts to bring a sustainable and lasting peace acceptable to all communities.

Minister Wijeratne said "except the UNP and TNA all other parties including the Jathika Hela Urumaya and Eelam People's Democratic Party are behind the President, support his efforts to develop the country and provide equal opportunities to all communities.

Even-though the JVP criticised the Government in the Parliament it is supporting the Government .

The attempt to topple the Government is a joint conspiracy by the UNP and the LTTE. If they brought the UNP to power the LTTE can achieve their target very easily.

The CWC leader and Former Minister Arumugam Thondaman and Posts and Telecommunication Minister Rauff Hakeem have recently said that they too were partners in President Mahinda Rajapaksa's journey to establish enjoys ethnic amity .

The agreement signed by then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prabhakaran enabled the LTTE to expand their terrorist activities in the North East region.

The UNP is striving to topple the Government. But as the main opposition it has a responsibility to stop the war and find a solution to the ethnic conflict.