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'NORTH IRELAND SETTLEMENT A GOOD EXAMPLE'- PROF. TISSA
VITHARANA
The Chairman of the All Party Representative Committee and
Minister of Science and Technology Prof. Tissa Vitharana who
announced the convening of the APRC meeting this week after a
lapse of two months said that during his visit to Britain, the
British and North Ireland experts who successfully dealt with
the North Ireland crisis said that the Lankan national crisis
should also be dealt with extreme patience and flexibility to
reach an amicable settlement.
Prof. Vitharana who visited the United kingdom to explore the
methods of resolving the North Ireland crisis, Scotland and
Wales issues told the Sunday Observer that the integrity and
flexibility of the British politicians had played a major role
in solving those complicated issues successfully.
"The APRC meeting is expected to be convened this week to make
fresh initiatives. Therefore, the discussions and feasibility
studies which were made during my stay in Britain last week
would help in sharing the British experience in dealing with our
national crisis.
My delegation spent three days in North Ireland and witnessed
the Parliamentary activities where the North Ireland's Anglican
and Catholic representatives now deal with their politics
amicably since the Irish Republican Army denounced violence and
entered the political mainstream.
Shinfein, the political wing of the IRA is currently playing an
effective role since the North Ireland crisis was settled a few
years ago," Prof. Vitharana said.
The APRC Chairman said that the North Ireland crisis which was
worse than the Lankan crisis and remained a big challenge to the
British Government was settled under a unitary system with the
optimal devolution of powers.
The Memorandum of Understanding reached with regard to the North
Ireland crisis has been made an Act of the British Parliament.
"Therefore, the North Ireland settlement is a good example for
all political parties in Sri Lanka in dealing with our own
crisis.
The Scotland and Wales issues were also settled under a unitary
system with optimal devolution of powers," Prof. Vitharana said.
Commenting on the concerns of British political circles over the
Lankan crisis, Minister Vitharana said they insisted that utmost
patience and flexibility were vital in dealing with extremely
complicated political issues and it was only through political
means that the Lankan crisis too could be settled. |