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Prof. Warnapala on P-TOMS gaffe
Deputy Foreign Minister Wiswa Warnapala, referring to our last week’s story headlined ‘UNP backing Cooray: Whither WPC?’ has sent us a letter, which says:

“I refer to the reference made to me in your esteemed newspaper in the front page under the caption “UNP backing Cooray: Wither WPC”. The said reference is totally unfounded and absolutely false. I never made such a reference; in addition I travelled with Mr. Natwar Singh in a noisy helicopter where no conversation could be undertaken.

“All statements attributed to me are diabolical fabrications by an interested individual who wants to tarnish my good name. I have been in this party for more than 34 years and I am presently a deputy president of the party and also a member of its central committee.

“In addition, I am a recognized academic who served at the University of Peradeniya for 30 years. Therefore, I have no intention to resign from the National List to pave the way for any person. I do not believe in individuals; I believe in policies. I am determined to remain a Member of Parliament until the end of the life of this Parliament. In my entire political career, the philosophy, which guided my politics, was the political philosophy of the late Mr. S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike.

“I shall be very thankful if you could give publicity to the statement of mine in your esteemed newspaper.”

Our reporter says:
I stand by my story that Indian External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh mentioned to Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar that Prof. Wiswa Warnapala who had met the visiting minister at the airport and later accompanied him to Colombo, had made very critical comments about the Joint Mechanism or P-TOMS, and that this conduct on the part of the Deputy Minister has been raised by the Minister with President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

I know that Prof. Warnapala travelled with the Indian Minister by helicopter, whether noisy or otherwise, but then that helicopter did not land at the Taj Hotel where the Minister was staying; it landed at the Army grounds from where the two went by car to the hotel.

I do not know much about Prof. Warnapala's poltical philosophy, and I did not refer to that either in my story. I just stand by what I wrote that there is a move to remove him as a National List MP, and that the Indian Minister complained to his Sri Lankan counter-part about Prof. Warnapala.

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