An interim administrative council for the north & east cannot be approved by me alone. It has to be through the approval of parliament in keeping with the constitution, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said.

He said so when the Sinhala MPs met at the parliament last Wednesday (08) for a discussion.

Among the members of the Sinhala group led by Dinesh Gunawardene were Tissa Karaliyadde, Janaka Tennakoon, Mahinda Amaraweera, D. M. Dissanayake, Mahipala Herath, M. K. D. S. Gunawardane, T. K. Thevarapperuma, Pandu Bandaranaike, Kumara Dassanayake, Ananda Ratnayake and S. R. Madduma Bandara.

The Prime Minister, speaking further said that he and the government did not accept the homeland policy though it had been included in the agenda of the LTTE. He also pointed out that when discussions commence with the LTTE no condition for a homeland policy will be included in the agenda.Dinesh Gunawardene speaking on behalf of the group said that the first demand of the group was regarding the rights and cultural heritage of Sinhala people living in the north and east and rehabilitation of displaced Sinhalese in the north and east. He pointed out that this demand had already been intimated to President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe replying said that it is an accepted fact by all of us to safeguard the rights and cultural heritage of Sinhalese living in the north and east and that even by the Indo-Lanka agreement they had been protected.

He further said that action would be taken to protect the Sinhalese families in the north and east as well as to resurrect their economic conditions.

It was also decided that both parties meet regularly to discuss problems arising in the peace process.