CCC seeks urgent progress in peace process

The Ceylon Chamber Of Commerce (CCC) has urged the government to take immediate action to secure national consensus on the devolution proposals that were developed as the first step to solve the North East conflict.

The CCC says the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) should give serious consideration to the recommendations made by the Panel of Experts (PE), which are consistent with the principles enunciated by the government on devolution. “CCC believes that the recommendations of the different groups can be synthesised to arrive at a common position which meets the aspirations of the minority communities in the country,” it said in a statement. It said the concerns expressed in certain quarters, that any form of accommodation on devolution will be a 'stepping stone' to separation, can be addressed by the specific safeguards contained in the recommendations of the PE.

Negotiations can be conditional upon a commitment to non-violence and the acceptance of democratic principles by those entering the process of negotiations.

The CCC also noted with concern a recent tendency on the part of some groups to suppress suggestions for any form of accommodation in the settlement of the Northeast conflict. In the recent past individuals who have been associated with such suggestions of accommodation have been maligned.