Speaking in Jaffna Ranil assures political solution

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, speaking in Jaffna today, assured that his Government will work towards a political solution to resolve the National issue. The Prime Minister said that following the end of the war there was an expectation that the National issue will be resolved with the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Wickremesinghe noted that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had also promised to go beyond the 13th Amendment with “13 plus” but that was not to be. He said that the Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims faced several hardships since the National issue was not resolved.

However he said the current cohabitation Government is determined to address the National issue. He also said that the concerns of the Tamils will also be addressed in order to heal their wounds and give them peace of mind. The Prime Minister insisted that the reconciliation and accountability process is not to take revenge on anyone but to find the truth over some incidents related to the war. He said the ultimate goal of Sri Lanka must be to ensure all communities work together in a united Sri Lanka and not a divided country. He said that extremism should not be given room in the country and all religions must be protected like in the past. The Prime Minister urged all political parties, including former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to support the reconciliation process. He said that Sri Lanka must take advantage of its location in the Indian ocean and join the economic race.