While remaining as the coalition partner in the United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) will continue to take up issues which are detrimental to the country, Cultural Affairs and National Heritage Minister Vijitha Herath said yesterday.

Herath, a member of the JVP who bagged the highest number votes in the Gampaha District at the last Parliamentary Elections, told ‘The Island’ that they would stick to promises made during the parliamentary elections and to their party policies.

"We joined the government with an agreement. According to this agreement, we said that we will protest against any actions which are going to affect the sovereignty of the country or the general public," he added.

He also said that they would act against any privatisation projects. "It is our duty to safeguard the general public, and the public is well aware of that."

Addressing a gathering in Nittumbuwa on Sunday, President Chandrika Kumaratunga said that on one hand Prabhakaran was asking for a separate land and on the other some others within the party were against having peace talks.

An angry President Kumaratunga also said that if anybody within the government wanted to leave they could do so. In response to this statement, Hearth said that the JVP would not make it a big issue. However, they would continue to act with restraint as a responsible party.

Another JVP politician attributed President’s anger to Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s loss at the Gampaha Co-operatives elections, recently.

Meanwhile, Posts, Telecommunications and Udarata Development Minister D. M. Jayaratne told The Island that the UPFA government would go for peace talks with any party that support talks. "I believe that without talks this problem will not be solved," he said.

"We cannot think of parties, power and politics. We must think about the country," he added.

The former Peoples’ Alliance General Secretary said that everything depended on the LTTE.

"This is why we are asking the LTTE to first come for talks and air any differences of opinion during the peace talks".