| Cooray's entry will not affect
Presidential campaign says UNP by Shamindra Ferdinando Mr. Cooray last Thursday declared that he was confident of contesting the next presidential poll as an independent candidate and winning if the party did not bring him back to active politics. Kodituwakku indicated that people cannot threaten their way back to positions. He pointed out that the people and the international community recognise the UNP as the alternative government. Referring to the abortive bid to impeach then President Ranasinghe Premadasa, Kodituwakku said that Messrs Athulathmudali and Dissanayake had a programme of action. He doubted whether Cooray could mount a similar campaign. Ruling party sources said that no independent candidate will be able to contest a presidential poll and win. "Cooray can't be serious," the same sources said. However the ruling party firmly believes that Cooray's entry will affect the UNP's presidential polls campaign. Political sources said that it would not be easy for Cooray to battle both Mrs. Kumaratunga and the UNP leader. "He was able to poll only 89,000 votes contesting the Colombo District at the December 1989 parliamentary poll," political sources said. "He came a distant second to Mr. Athulathmudali who polled over 225,000 votes at the same election," The same sources added that Mrs. Srimani Athulathmudali was able to secure well over 150,000 votes contesting the same district later. Mr. Cooray had never polled more than 100,000. Mr. Wickremesinghe, currently on a tour in the United States will return in the first week of October. Working Committee sources told The Sunday Island. "He is aware of Cooray's challenge to contest the next poll as an independent candidate," The party will not succumb to pressure-tactics to take people and give them positions, Working Committee sources said. Mr. Wickremesinghe is expected to explain his position on former general secretary's challenge to the party as soon as he returns. He and his wife left Sri Lanka on September 16. He had been in United Kingdom for a couple of days and from there flew to the United States. They have been staying there with some relatives. They were scheduled to attend a fund raising dinner in San Francisco yesterday. UNP National List MP Anura Bandaranaike and MP John Amaratunga were among those present on that occasion. UNP officials said that Wickremesinghe will return to Washington tomorrow [28] to begin a three day official programme. "He will be meeting senators, congressmen and senior State Department officials," UNP officials said. A senior official involved in anti-terrorism is among those expected to meet the UNP leader. Wickremesinghe early this month briefed the Senior Advisor to the South Asia Bureau, George Pickart when the latter arrived in Sri Lanka as part of the regional tour. Accompanied by Ambassador Shaun E. Donnelly, Pickart met Wickremesinghe to get briefed on UNP position on both national and international issues. Both government and diplomatic sources said that the US in the past four years had stepped up assistance to Sri Lanka particularly in the field of counter-terrorism. Sri Lanka had been included in the US military's Extended Relations Programme [ERP] resulting in US training for Sri Lankan armed forces. Both government and UNP agreed that the ban imposed on the LTTE by the US considerably helped Sri Lanka's campaign against the organisation abroad. Government sources said that the US President Bill Clinton had assured President Kumaratunga during last week's meeting in New York that his government will support Sri Lanka's efforts against terrorism. Sources said that UNP is on the right track both here and abroad. "We are in no hurry," party sources said. Wickremesinghe is further consolidating his position within the party. Party sources said that the leader will move ahead with campaign plans after his return. |