July 12, 2003	Saturday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 11, 1424

COLOMBO, July 11: Amidst much controversy from opposition political parties the United National Front government on Thursday said that it had complete faith that its proposals for an interim council to be handed over to the LTTE for opinions will lure the Tigers back to the negotiating table.

Cabinet spokesperson and ministerial head of the governments peace team, Prof G. L. Peiris told journalists that the government was positive about the proposals being received with good grace by the LTTE, but said that it was not ‘speed’ which mattered but the establishment of a ‘lasting stability’.

“It is not how soon the LTTE walks back to the peace talks but it is how long they stay there”, Peiris said of the government set of proposals which were harshly criticized by the opposition Peoples Alliance.

The Peoples Alliance, the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and the Sinhala party, the Sinhala Urumaya have united to express its protests against what it has termed as the ‘stubborn and secretive’ behaviour of the UNF.