Sri Lanka unity govt sworn in
Sri Lanka's president urged the new parliament yesterday to take "difficult political decisions" to bring about ethnic reconciliation six years after the end of a decades-long separatist war.
Maithripala Sirisena called on lawmakers to take the lead in healing the wounds of the war that ended in 2009, hours after they were sworn nto the 225-seat parliament following last month's general election.
Sirisena came to power in January promising reconciliation and accountability for alleged war crimes committed by troops under the command of then-president Mahinda Rajapakse.
The UNP and Rajapakse's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) agreed last month to enter a broad-based coalition government.
Rajapakse, who refused to join the coalition, took his seat on the opposition benches yesterday along with a group of his supporters.
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