UK's Conservative Party says will not support two-state solution in SL

UK’s Conservative Party has clarified that their general election manifesto does not support a two state solution in Sri Lanka, the Foreign Ministry said today (Dec 4).

This was after its manifesto had seemingly stated it would support a two state solution in “former conflict zones such as Cyprus, Sri Lanka and the Middle East”.

"We will continue to support international initiatives to achieve reconciliation, stability and justice across the world, and in the former conflict zones such as Cyprus, Sri Lanka and the Middle East, where we maintain our support for a two-state solution," the manifesto read.

Accordingly, Sri Lanka’s High Commission in UK, on November 27, had in writing requested the Co-Chair of the Conservative Party to amend the paragraph in the manifesto, the Foreign Ministry's statement noted.

"To be absolutely clear, the two-state line in the section was intended to refer only to the Israel-Palestine situation in the Middle East (as is stated policy). The commitments to Sri Lanka and Cyprus were simply about continuing existing efforts to support peace and reconciliation in divided societies," Paul Scully, the Conservative Party's Deputy Chair had responded saying.

The UK General Election is scheduled to be held on December 12.