The TNA yesterday called for a political dialogue involving all democratic forces, emphasising they shouldn’t wait for the outcome of the next presidential election.

Commenting on President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s recent statement that a political solution would come only after the next presidential election, TNA Jaffna District MP Sri Kantha said he understood political constraints and compulsions confronting the President.

He said that the recent meeting of the All Party Committee on Development and Reconciliation was a step in the right direction in resolution of the national problem.

He said that he wasn’t only talking about the Tamils or Tamil speaking Muslims, but the Sinhalese as well. He said that there were many common grounds which could unite communities rather than divide them.

"We have common cultural and religions links and background. Buddhism and Hinduism have many things in common. We also find Christians and Catholics in both communities. There are Muslims whose mother tongue is Tamil. They are the community that link Sinhalese and Tamils in the South", he said.

He said that his party like any other party respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.

The majority community should not have any doubts regarding the TNA. The TNA would be there with the other communities to protect the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.

"In the past, there were many instances where we fought together as well.

We were united against the Portuguese, Dutch and the British. Why cannot we unite now?" he asked.