Colombo:
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has invited pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance (TNA) along with all Tamil and Muslim parties for a meeting on Thursday to discuss the ethnic conflict in the Island country.
",President Mahinda Rajapaksa intends to discuss a political solution to the ethnic conflict in the North with the TNA MPs at the meeting,", a release by the Presidential Media Unit said.
",However, TNA MPs were supposed to give a final decision on the invitation soon,", said an official.
Discussions were on among the party members with regard to the invitation and no decision has been taken so far on it, said TNA Parliamentary leader R Sambanthan.
",The only thing I can tell you now is that we (the TNA members) will make a responsible decision",, said Sambanthan.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has summoned a meeting of all Tamil and Muslim political parties, including the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), this week for an interaction on the prevailing political situation, the release issued by the Presidential secretariat said.
This is the first such initiative by the Lanka government involving any pro-LTTE group after end of cease-fire in January 2008.
The invitation has been sent to all Tamil and Muslim political parties that are represented in parliament at present, and those that have been represented earlier.
This meeting assumes importance as the military campaign against the LTTE has reached a decisive phase and there is considerable interest on the government's moves to activate the political process for resolution of the ethnic conflict.
",The President has been consistent in stating that he does not believe in imposing any political solution but would be interested in knowing the views of all political parties for the purpose of arriving at a consensus on any set of proposals",, quoted the release.
At a function held on Monday, Rajapaksa announced the decision to resume the Yale Devi train service between Colombo and the Jaffna peninsula, the project may take several months as rail lines will have to be re-laid around the Jaffna region after it was reportedly dismantled by the LTTE.
Rajapakasa urged India, China, Pakistan, Japan and other countries that helped in the fight against terrorism to come forward and assist in reconstruction.
",I have decided to rebuild the Jaffna station employing people of my own village, Hambantota. Engineers, masons, carpenters etc from Hambantota would go and rebuild the Jaffna station. Likewise people from other districts should contribute and participate to build the other stations,", said Rajapaksa.
",President Mahinda Rajapaksa intends to discuss a political solution to the ethnic conflict in the North with the TNA MPs at the meeting,", a release by the Presidential Media Unit said.
",However, TNA MPs were supposed to give a final decision on the invitation soon,", said an official.
Discussions were on among the party members with regard to the invitation and no decision has been taken so far on it, said TNA Parliamentary leader R Sambanthan.
",The only thing I can tell you now is that we (the TNA members) will make a responsible decision",, said Sambanthan.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has summoned a meeting of all Tamil and Muslim political parties, including the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), this week for an interaction on the prevailing political situation, the release issued by the Presidential secretariat said.
This is the first such initiative by the Lanka government involving any pro-LTTE group after end of cease-fire in January 2008.
The invitation has been sent to all Tamil and Muslim political parties that are represented in parliament at present, and those that have been represented earlier.
This meeting assumes importance as the military campaign against the LTTE has reached a decisive phase and there is considerable interest on the government's moves to activate the political process for resolution of the ethnic conflict.
",The President has been consistent in stating that he does not believe in imposing any political solution but would be interested in knowing the views of all political parties for the purpose of arriving at a consensus on any set of proposals",, quoted the release.
At a function held on Monday, Rajapaksa announced the decision to resume the Yale Devi train service between Colombo and the Jaffna peninsula, the project may take several months as rail lines will have to be re-laid around the Jaffna region after it was reportedly dismantled by the LTTE.
Rajapakasa urged India, China, Pakistan, Japan and other countries that helped in the fight against terrorism to come forward and assist in reconstruction.
",I have decided to rebuild the Jaffna station employing people of my own village, Hambantota. Engineers, masons, carpenters etc from Hambantota would go and rebuild the Jaffna station. Likewise people from other districts should contribute and participate to build the other stations,", said Rajapaksa.
