Today is Fathers� Day. Poets and writers often eloquently describe the mother�s love for the child, but a father�s love is also equally limitless. Parents will surmount all obstacles to bring up their children, as evidenced by this father and mother feeding their child at a camp for the tsunami displaced in Panadura. This father, mother and infant are among the lucky families who survived the cataclysm. Despite the adversity, they are determined to secure a bright future for their child.

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Donors support President, LTTE effort to implement P-TOMS

Co-chairs of the Sri Lanka Donor Group said they support President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, her Government and the LTTE's, commitment to rapidly implement the structure to administer tsunami assistance in the North-East. The Co-chairs in a statement also called on the LTTE to stop assassinations, including of individuals such as Tamil informants, members of other Tamil groups and political parties and government and military officials, and to stop the recruitment and the use of child soldiers.

The Co-chairs of the Sri Lanka Donor Group, met in Washington DC on June 13. The statement: "The Co-chairs of the Sri Lanka Donor Group met on June 13 to discuss the current situation in Sri Lanka and consider the way forward."

Peace process and Ceasefire Agreement We note with utmost concern that while full-scale hostilities have not resumed, respect for the Ceasefire Agreement has been undermined by persistent violence, including assassinations of individuals affiliated with both parties. The resulting climate of impunity violates the spirit of the Ceasefire Agreement.

The Co-chairs urge the parties to take all necessary steps to end violence and enforce all provisions of the Ceasefire Agreement in areas under their control. The Co-chairs call on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to stop assassinations, including of individuals such as Tamil informants, members of other Tamil groups and political parties and government and military officials, and to stop the recruitment and use of child soldiers.

The Co-chairs likewise call on the Sri Lankan Government to take decisive action to ensure that killings are stopped and paramilitaries are disarmed immediately as required in the Ceasefire Agreement.

We recognise that most Sri Lankans understand that the only path to a better future is through negotiations aimed at peaceful settlement. The Co-chairs continue to call on the Government and the LTTE to bring about substantial and concrete progress in the peace process.

The Co-chairs commend the untiring efforts of Norway to facilitate a peaceful resolution to this conflict, and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in carrying out the monitoring of the Ceasefire Agreement.

Tsunami reconstruction

The Co-chairs support the commitment by the President, her Government and the LTTE to rapidly implement the structure to administer tsunami assistance in the North and East. The Co-chairs recognise the importance of the Muslim community in the functioning of this structure.

We believe such a structure will facilitate effectiveness and equity in tsunami assistance, and can help build confidence between the two sides. We urge the immediate signing of the agreement in order to ensure proper flow of reconstruction aid to tsunami victims in the North and East.

The Co-chairs call on all donors, private and public, to tailor their reconstruction activities in the North and East to the specific humanitarian situation, particularly the need to observe a balance between the victims of the conflict and those of the tsunami."

UNP Calls for Presidential election

While the United National Party says it is not interested in forming a government by capitalizing on a crisis situation faced by President Kumaratunga, it's, calling for a Presidential election by the end of this year. The UNP is of the view that the Presidential election should be held by the end of this year, while the government and the President had gone on record saying she can stay in power till the end of next year. The UNP will begin its pressure campaign with the Jana Bala Meheyuma next month to exert pressure on the President and the government. Party leader Ranil Wickremasinghe has already begun his election campaign. The SLFP and the JVP are yet to announce its candidates.

Some sections of the UNP are calling for the President to resign immediately without leading the country into oblivion. UNP MP, Mano Wijeratne said "She must resign immediately because she is not decisive as a leader. Look at leaders like JRJ and Ranil Wickremasinghe. They took decisions at the right time for the sake of the country however, hard it was for them. She just cannot make her mind up. If she cannot do it she must hand it over to a person who can do it, hold Presidential elections and let the people decide". Wijeratne said that one must look at the state of the economy to see how decisive Chandrika was. "Look at the cost of living. She has not made any decision on the Petroleum Corporation, Electricity Board and whole lot of other issues. Leader should be able to make decisions added Wijeratne. The UNP also urged Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse to break his silence and come out openly and explain to the country his stance on the proposed joint mechanism. Rajapakse, who has a reputation as a grass root leader, is yet to explain his position and has on several occasions said that he is not fully aware of the mechanism.