Sri Lankan President calls for political unity after unrest

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday called for unity from all political parties after months of political instability in the island country.

Delivering a speech on the government's policy at the opening of the 8th session of Parliament, Sirisena also called for an end to the power struggle within his unity government, saying the coalition had made progress in several key areas since being elected to office in 2015, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The ruling coalition has made progress in several key areas such as restoring rule of law, making the judiciary independent, reconciliation and winning back the goodwill of the international community. But much more still needs to be done," Sirisena said.

He said the government had made progress despite a massive debt burden, volatile international conditions and a drought triggered by climate change which hurt the farming community in particular.

He further said the government would create better conditions for domestic and international investors and would strengthen further its relationship with the international community.

In April, Sirisena suspended Parliament till May 8 after six ministers resigned from the unity government which comprises his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP).

--IANS

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