US tells Sri Lankan Government to work with the Tamil party
Wednesday, 25 September 2013 00:46
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Washington, DC: The United States, while congratulating the Sri Lankan people on a successful provincial council election, has told the Government to take the opportunity and work with the Tamil party.
“Now that the people of Sri Lanka have chosen provincial councils to represent their interests, it is incumbent upon the Government of Sri Lanka to support the new civilian leadership of the provinces,” State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Monday in a press briefing.
“In particular, we urge the Government of Sri Lanka to take advantage of this opportunity to expand efforts toward greater reconciliation by working with the newly elected Northern Provincial Council,” the US said. Sri Lanka held elections for the Central, North Western and for the first time in 25 years for the war-torn Northern Province on 21 September.
The ruling party claimed victory in the Central and North Western provinces while the main Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which was once considered as the proxy party for Tamil Tiger terrorist group LTTE, swept the polls in the Northern Province. The provincial polls were held for the first time in the Northern Province since its establishment under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution brought by the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord. Sri Lanka’s Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, who was in charge of the development in the war-torn province, said the Government is willing to work together with the TNA within the framework of the Constitution.
