The opposition UNP wishes to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the government "to support the country in dealing with the aftermath of the impending resolution at the UNCHR" and stop the country becoming a "pariah state", announced the leader of the UNP, Ranil Wickremesinghe at a press conference on Wednesday.
Wickremesinghe added that the UNP would support the government in implementing the LLRC, the 13th Amendment, and give "required assistance in solving the national issue".
The news comes only a few weeks after the UNP joined other opposition parties, including the TNA, to sign a MoU to form the "Vipakshaye Virodhaya" alliance against the ruling UPFA.
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The alliance includes: UNP, TNA, Democratic People’s Front, Nawa Sama Samaja Party, Mawbima Janatha Pakshaya, Ruhunu Janatha Party, Eksath Janatha Peramuna, Muslim Tamil National Alliance and Nidahase Wedikawa.
Although MA Sumanthiran of the TNA was in attendance (seen second right of Ranil Wickremesinghe in the above photograph), his signature was not on the memorandum.
A previous MoU between the UNP and SLFP was dissolved in 2007, after Mahinda Rajapaksa accepted 19 UNP lawmakers into the government ranks. The cross-overs included senior UNP ministers who had been at the fore-front of government peace talks with the LTTE in 2002-2003 such as Milinda Moragoda.
See 'Ranil: SLFP-UNP pact over, dark times ahead' (07 Feb 2007)
