I only discussed 13 plus with India: President
31 January 2012 12:30 am
President Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday he had only discussed the 13th Amendment plus with Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna. The President said it was not up to him but the proposed Parliamentary Select Committee to determine the solution best suited for Sri Lanka.
He told a meeting of editors at Temple Trees, that he would meet party leaders soon to request them to nominate representatives to the PSC on national reconciliation.
The President recalled that in the Mahinda Chintana manifesto he had emphasised the need for a ‘fresh initiative after a careful perusal of the proposals tabled so far’.
“When I say proposals made so far it includes the 13th Amendment plus as well,” he said.
On the reported divisions on the 13th Amendment Plus by the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) constituent parties including opposition by the JHU and JNP, the President said, all of them have agreed to his proposal made in the Mahinda Chintana document and that is enough for him.
Commenting on an alleged TNA move to get the United States, Britain and a few other nations to support the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) demand for a political solution, President Rajapaksa said a single party, not even the SLFP, can dictate terms as to what should be the final solution.
“Only the select committee has been tasked with finding a solution and others can only make proposals. How can I market a solution to the masses if it is going to be rejected by a majority of Sri Lankans?” the President asked adding that no outsider can decide what is best for the Sri Lankan electorate.
“If I only adopt the TNA proposal I won’t be able to go beyond the Bentara River,” he said in a lighter vein.
On devolving police and land powers, he insisted that under no circumstances would police powers be devolved and in the case of land powers too, the final jurisdiction would continue to be vested with the President.
However the President emphasized he was keen on the best-possible workable solution to the political question as Sri Lanka could not afford to wage another war.