Wijeyapala Mendis said, "Today is a historic day in my life. For over 50 years I had been a member of the UNP. My membership of the Party started in the D. S. Senanayake period. I want to tell you definitely that the members of the UNP which pledged support for the government of President Kumaratunga, are not here as alternative UNP. We are here as members of the UNP. We speak here for the entire United National Party.

We have not left the UNP. We remain deeply rooted in the UNP, while supporting the ruling UNP I am telling you this with emphasis.

We support the view that the entire UNP must throw its support behind President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

The most serious problem facing the country is the ethnic problem. Our young men who go to the war front die in thousands. This is a calamity to the country. The question I am asking is, does Ranil, who is a candidate for the Presidency know or feel this tragedy of this bloodshed. The war in the North and East directly affects the lives of everybody.

A group of UNPers including me and Nanda Mathew discussed how the UNP could contribute the efforts to end the war and put a stop to this endless chain of deaths.

Ranil is a child. He is just a little boy. If not so he would not have answered a child, who put a question to him in the most naive manner.

The child questioned Ranil about the latter's statement that he would give Prabhakaran two years to rule the North and East.

The answer of Ranil was that this: What is wrong in it. We can take back the area from him after the two years. How naive is this answer. Can you imagine any responsible leader would have uttered such nonsense.

This is an incorrigible leader. Just like the tail of the dog he can never be corrected.

Dozens are contesting for the Presidency but none other than President Chandrika Kumaratunge is competent to hold. She has a fairly long experience as President.

Wijeyapala Mendis said Ranil wanted his close associates of the UNP to vote for Chandrika against the party's own candidate Gamini Dissanayake. Ranil voted for Chandrika. The witnesses include Nanda Mathew of the UNP who is now a Minister of the ruling party.

That is how Ranil worked hard in glove against the leaders of his own party.

I need not talk to those of the People's Alliance. In fact we are speaking to our own party.

Ranil made a wrong choice for election to the Party's Youth League. His man lost. The youth from Badulla won. Soon after that Ranil changed the party constitution to delegate to himself the power of appointing the Secretary of the party Youth League.

Ranil is a lazy man who is not even fit to hold the post the Chairman of a Village Council.

Prabhakaran, I am confident would volunteer to come to the negotiation table when the two main parties unite. That is what we are try to achieve.

We have 35 members of the UNP supporting the People's Alliance Government.

When President Kumaratunga wins the election not by 61 per cent but perhaps with 70 to 80 per cent of the whole votes, the whole UNP will throw its support behind her Wijeyapala Mendis concluded.

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