Maithripala          Dallas

Reiterating President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s pledge to defeat the LTTE militarily, the government yesterday challenged retired Major General Janaka Perera, the UNP’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the North Central Province to reveal his stand on the ongoing war against terrorism.

SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena and SLFP Treasurer Dallas Alahapperuma said the retired Army Chief of Staff and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe were sharply divided over the security strategy.

Agriculture Development Minister Sirisena said the UNP leader had repeatedly said the war against the LTTE couldn’t be won. "We’ll prove him wrong," he said, assuring the government’s commitment to a negotiated settlement to the conflict. But he ruled out the possibility of a fresh round of talks which would be advantageous to the LTTE.

Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene dismissed assertion that New Delhi had demanded an immediate halt to the ongoing offensive. The recent visit by a high level Indian delegation which comprised Foreign and Defence secretaries and the National Security Advisor was depicted as an Indian demand to call off the military action.

Sirisena expressed confidence that security forces would finish off the LTTE in their last bastion in the Vanni. "Would the retired Major General accept our tough stand on the LTTE? Or endorse the UNP leader’s policy of appeasement?" he asked.

Alahapperuma said the government would never dispute Perera’s battlefield record. In fact, we truly respect him for his battlefield achievements," he said, but the good General shouldn’t forget that he was a party to an unsuccessful war effort.

"We are now engaged in a successful campaign," the minister said, challenging the UNP’s leading candidate in the NCP to reveal his stance on the current status of the military action against the LTTE. Expressing confidence that Perera wouldn’t back Wickremesinghe’s defeatist attitude, the minister said before handing over of nominations he always asserted the war could be won.

"We’ll be delighted to know his views now. We don’t know whether he has changed his opinion."

With army Chief Lt. General Sarath Fonseka’s troops making rapid headway in the Vanni theatre, we don’t know whether Perera was jealous of the progress on the war front.

The minister said the UNP called for talks after the LTTE had challenged the government at Mavil-aru and when the enemy caused massive destruction at Anuradhapura SLAF base. UNP spokesman Lakshman Kiriella, MP, declared that any bull could wage war, he said. "That was the UNP’s attitude," he said.