PM digs his heels in

By Anura Balasuriya

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said that the doors of Temple Trees were open for those staging protests at Galle Face for talks with him.

“They say they are conducting a struggle. A solution could be found through a discussion. The protest will drag on as long as they skip talks. All I have to tell the youth at the Galle Face Green is that the government is ready to talk with them any time. If they want, they could conduct talks with anyone else in the government.”

When it was pointed out that the protesters had already turned down his previous request for talks, the Premier said: “They have not informed me that they will not talk. They have not conveyed that to us. Doors of Temple Trees are open for them at any time. If they name the ministers they want to negotiate with, I will ensure their participation. It is only through negotiations that we could solve this problem,” the Prime Minister said.

Prime Minister Rajapaksa expressed these views in a special statement to Neth News.

The Premier said that he acknowledged that the country was in a difficult position, but the government was capable of steering it to safety through the present crisis. He added that there were many instances in history where the country faced far worse crises and came out of them.