The decision by President Mahinda Rajapakse that the UNP should talk to his secretary on the all important issue facing the nation seems to have dashed all hopes of the two major parties getting together, an outspoken Small Industry Chamber president Aloy R. Jayewardene said in a direct missive to president Rajapakse Tuesday this week.

Following are excepts from Jayewardene’s message:

"Your Government consists of a majority of political parties, and find it difficult to reach a consensus towards a single policy to end the hostilities. This is the reason you invited the United National Party, the strongest single party to join your Government in encompassing a national consensus towards resolving this major national problem.

"Your surprise decision, the latest to relegate discussions with the UNP to your Party Secretary and not directly with you, have lost our hopes of the two major parties getting together to solve the urgent national issue. You originally wrote to the UNP inviting it to support the Government on important national issues and the UNP in a sprit of bipartisanship and patriotism responded positively. However your decision to relegate this matter from your Excellency to your party level has created doubt about your sincerity in seeking UNP support on the ethnic issue. This surprise shifting shows that your Government is playing down, after the UNP responded positively.

"Your Excellency, your response should have been to invite the UNP Leadership for a meeting with your goodself to garner the Southern consensus on the ethnic conflict. The greatest responsibility devolves upon Your Excellency at this crucial moment in facing the challenges under the moto "Country Before Self". You need the fullest cooperation of all for you to achieve the desired objective.

"We make a fervent appeal to your Excellency to win the confidence of the Leaders of the United National Party, the single largest political forces with nearly 50% of the electorate backing and if your Excellency honesty believes in a lasting solution to a conflict that has divested Sri Lanka for the past two decades.