SJB says yes, NPP says no to the APC today

• All party conference was called to discuss the government’s national reconciliation programme
• SJB warns it will leave the discussion if the conference is merely a political exercise
• States ruling party should come to an agreement with all relevant matters before the meeting  

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana  

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) will participate in the All Party Conference (APC) called by President Ranil Wickremesinghe today, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said yesterday.   
The conference which is said to be aimed at informing the party leaders representing Parliament about the government’s national reconciliation programme, was announced following the visit by the President to India last week. It is learnt that the discussion would mainly focus on the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.   

Prior to the India visit the President informed the Tamil parties that the 13th Amendment would be implemented sans granting police powers to the Provincial councils. Indian leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the President’s visit stressed the need to implement the Amendment which was a direct upshot of the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987, in full.   
“We have decided to participate in the all party conference for the sake of the nation,” Mr. Premadasa said at a gathering in Bibile.    “However we will leave the discussion if we feel that the conference is merely a political exercise,” he said.    “We have been told that there will be an all party conference but the agenda is yet to be notified. Also we would like to say that the ruling party members should come to an agreement with all relevant matters before the proposed meeting takes place,” he also said.    Meanwhile, the National People’s Power (NPP) has decided to boycott the Conference JVP Propaganda Secretary and NPP MP Vijitha Herath said.