By Xinhua,
Colombo : Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and main opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe held talks on Wednesday to discuss the island’s prevailing situation, presidential officials said.
Officials from the Presidential Office said the two leaders discussed the political and economic situation in the country in the morning.
The meeting came a day after Karu Jayasuriya, a government minister and a defector from Wickremesinghe’s United National Party returned to the main opposition quitting Rajapakse’s government.
Jayasuriya who accepted Wickremesinghe’s invitation to become the UNP’s deputy leader said he was concerned about the deteriorating economy under Rajapakse’s government and only the UNP was capable of improving the island’s economy.
The UNP has tabled a no-confidence motion against the government in parliament, citing the government’s corrupt deals and mismanagement.
The motion also alleged that the government was using for political purposes the gains made by the security forces in their current military campaign against Tamil Tiger rebels in the north.