Sri Lanka opposition leader says Jayasuriya assigned to unite the UNP

Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe says that deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya has been assigned to unite the party, as it is the majority view of the UNP membership.



Wickremasinghe made this comment in a statement today following co-deputy leader Sajith Premadasa's invitation to Jayasuriya to accept the post of party leader.

The UNP leader has however not mentioned whether he was planning to step down from the party leadership.

Wickremasinghe has reportedly said Jayasuriya has been assigned the task of uniting the party when he had met the central committee members of the UNP's UK branch in London. He is currently on a tour to the UK to attend the Commonwealth Parliamentary meeting.

Meanwhile, UNP parliamentarian Harin Fernando told a press conference that Wickremasinghe would meet Jayasuriya upon his return to the country on August 4 to discuss the measures that should be taken to unite the party and convert it into a winning force.