The UNP said yesterday that it was not opposed to the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement(CEPA) between Sri Lanka and India, but objects to the secretive manner in which the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime was negotiating.

National List UNP MP, Harsha de Silva told a press conference in Colombo, that it was during the last UNP government’s tenure that discussions on CEPA commenced and therefore it cannot on principle be opposed to it.

"We want an open public discussion including a Parliamentary debate before the CEPA is finalized. The masses are being kept in the dark about its contents which is not healthy in a country which claims to be a democracy."

The UNP decided to go beyond the Free Trade Agreement with India and negotiate a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, because it wanted to tap the huge middle class Indian market. Trade pacts were also sought with the United States of America and European Union for the same reason, he said.

"An organisation headed by one Samantha Kumarasinghe, a supporter of the government held public protests against CEPA recently. It complained that CEPA would even put Sri Lankan hairdressers out of business," de Silva said. "It was Minister G.L.Peiris who negotiated CEPA on behalf of the Rajapaksa regime. So he is duty bound to explain the pros and cons of the agreement to the people, before rushing into signing it."

He said that the lack of transparency, has led to all the confusion generated regarding CEPA. To begin with, the positive and negative lists should be revealed.