The United National Party (UNP) said today there were questions whether the Government was genuine about Monday’s bilateral talks with the UNP though there was the possibility of a broad dialogue with all opposition political parties to resolve the national issue.
 

UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told journalists that even in past the UNP has had bitter experiences when it held talks with the government. 

He said the country would face further problems if the government was not genuine in what it did and thereby allowed history to repeat itself. “Sri Lanka will definitely fall into difficulty if the government does not make a genuine effort to resolve the national question because the international community is keeping an eye on the country now more than ever before,” Mr. Attanayake said.
 

He did not rule out the possibility when asked whether Monday’s talk was the result of pressure by the international community. During discussion with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the UNP had requested that there be a broad dialogue with all opposition parties including the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to be involved in the search for a political solution. 
 

Mr. Attanayake said the UNP had stressed the need for the government to create a suitable climate for all political parties to participate in the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC). (Yohan Perera)