3 July 2020 12:00 am
By Sandun A Jayasekera
While reiterating that the government would never sign any agreement with a country or organisation that contravenes the Constitution, confronts the sovereignty, territorial integrity, national security and dignity of the country, cabinet spokesman and Minister Bandula Gunawardana said the government would take a final decision of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact next week after Ministers submitted their personal views on the MCC to the cabinet next Wednesday.
The cabinet discussed the report of the three member committee led by Dr. Lalithasiri Gunaruwan that reviewed the proposed MCC agreement in detail on Wednesday, Minister Gunawardana told the media at the weekly cabinet news briefing yesterday.
“Ministers were given a copy each of the Gunaruwan report at the cabinet meeting on Wednesday and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa requested Ministers to submit their individual views next week to the cabinet on the MCC agreement after going through the report. The government would take a final decision accordingly, Minister Gunawardana said.
President Rajapaksa would not sign any agreement that affects the national interests whether the country is US, China, India or Russia. Asked by the Daily Mirror as to why the government pursues with the MCC by putting the agreement into the public domain and obtain views of Ministers after the Gunaruwan report highlighted the negative impacts of the agreement, Minister Gunawardana responded by saying that an agreement signed between two states cannot be abrogated by one party or other single handedly.