Daily NEWS Srilanka

Though the secret rendesvouz between Mahinda and

According to what Mawbima the weekend newspaper reports, the meeting between Mahinda and Maithri whose SLFP Party has divided the two of them has met not at the Speaker's official residence but at a distinguished home to discuss a decisive point on the manner in which the votes should be canvassed after the parliament is dissolved. It was groups on both sides who activated the background for this discussion in order to conciliate both of them. The foundation for this was in fact laid last Wednesday. By that time the group who joined in from Maithri faction had planned out the conditions to be forwarded at such a meeting. They had brought forward a proposal to confer an honourable post for Mahinda in the future. If Mahinda was to give consent to that suggestion and was to give support to move the Party towards victory, the Maithri faction has agreed not to carry forward the allegations targetted at him and relatives of his kith and kin in future. The Maithri faction has also suggested that Namal would be given an opportunity of coming forward within the Party. Those who arranged the discussion on behalf of Mahinda had said that if the opportunity for Mahinda to nominate himself as Prime Minister of the SLFP is denied, he is prepared to contest separately.

As such, the Mahinda faction has received a very secret message from Maithri faction by Thursday (25) afternoon and what was stated in the contents was that Maithri is ready to meet Mahinda at a certain luxury house in Colombo and that arrangements have been made for that meeting at 10 in the night on Thursday. Mahinda faction has also been notified that no external individuals would be permitted for the discussion. Though a dinner had been prepared for the Mahinda-group at Western Province Chief Minister Mr. Prasanna Ranatunga on Thursday night, not a word has been spilt there about the Mahinda -- Maithri meeting. When the dinner was in progress, Mahinda had taken leave of the members of parliament exactly at about 9.45 and had said that he has to attend a very special meeting and had thus left from the scene telling those present that he would attend the dinner once more after the said meeting was over.

Mahinda who thus got into his vehicle, straightaway stopped near a luxury house situated at a particular place in Colombo. Even by that time Maithri was present in that house and after the two welcomed each other both of them had proceeded to a room upstairs prepared for the said discussion. As such, the door of the closed room ultimately once again opened only exactly after 25 minutes elapsed. Though subsequent to the discussion Mahinda was planning to proceed straightaway to Prasanna's home and Maithri to his home at Wijerama Mawatha, they had vowed each other that no information regarding the discussion would be exposed.

Though Mahinda had arrived at Prasanna's home and once more participated in the dinner, Mahinda had not disclosed anything about the discussion whatsoever to anyone present there. However, newspapers flashed the news headline the following day that a meeting had taken place "at the Speaker's House". After seeing the news, on orders coming from above, the President's Media Unit issued an announcement early on Friday morning that news reports broadcasting that a meeting was held at "Speaker's Official Residence" is false. The media co-ordinator on behalf of Mahinda Rajapaksa too had issued a rejected media announcement.