Cabinet to further discuss CEPA

The Cabinet yesterday decided to study the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to be signed with India, further before taking a final decision on signing it.
Sri Lanka and India have already finalized the draft of this agreement to improve the trade, service and investment sectors between the two countries. The Cabinet discussed the CEPA at length yesterday, and the Ministers pointed out that various segments had interpreted this agreement in different ways.
Minister of International Trade Prof. G.L. Peiris and Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama were among those who commented on the matter. Political sources told Daily Mirror that it was eventually agreed to study pros and cons of this agreement further in these circumstances without taking a final decision hurriedly.
In the meantime, President Mahinda Rajapaksa referred to the military capturing the Viduthalaitivu town inflicting heavy losses to the LTTE.
The President pointed out that the LTTE were withdrawing back in an unprecedented manner, yet he cautioned the Ministers to be vigilant about possible LTTE threats in the south at this juncture.
He noted that the Ministers should not ignore possible terrorist attacks targeting economic nerve centres at this hour while being complacent about the military victories in the North.
President Rajapaksa also told the Cabinet that most LTTE suicide squads deployed to the south had been arrested, and as a result Tigers were unable to do any major attack in the south during the past few weeks.
Referring to the arrest of film director having links with terrorists, he said that the LTTE is an organization having the capability to penetrate into any place.