Addressing a meeting of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) at the United Nations, Mr. Azwer said that since a new government was installed in power last year, Sri Lanka had launched a series of confidence-building measures - one at a time.

"We have had a ceasefire agreement. We laid down arms. We have a cessation of hostilities and we have stopped shooting and started talking", he told the gathering of non-governmental organisations.

The meeting officially billed the International Conference of Civil Society in support of the Palestinian people, was sponsored by the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of Palestinian people.

Mr. Azwer said Sri Lanka was also fortunate in having the offices of Norway as facilitator in the ongoing peace negotiations.

Asked by an NGO representative whether Sri Lanka would be willing to play the role of a facilitator between Israelis and Palestinians, Mr. Azwer said he would carry that message to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Ten days on strike, no end in sight
Assistant and Registered Medical Officers (AMOs and RMOs) islandwide who are on strike since last Friday have decided to stage a Sathyagraha opposite the Health Ministry on Tuesday as a protest against the delay in rectifying their salary anomaly.
The strike, by the AMOs and RMOs which entered its tenth day, was to demand the Health Ministry take immediate action to rectify salary anomalies created by the Kodagoda Salaries Commission.

Several hospitals and central dispensaries in remote areas of the country were paralysed since the AMOs and RMOs struck work last Friday (4)

"We are hoping that by Wednesday the government will give us a favourable response, failing which we have no choice, but to continue our trade union action to win our demands," said the Secretary of the Society of Registered and Assistant Medical Officers Association (SRAMO) Dr. Mahinda Liyanage.

Last month too, and for a similar demand the AMOs and RMOs went on strike for nine consecutive days.

However, the Health Ministry said that a committee has been appointed under a directive by the Prime Minister and they need to await the committee report for a decision.

SRAMO President Dr. K.M. Zahir said that Health Minister P. Dayaratne had undertaken to present a cabinet paper to resolve this matter, but the Prime Minister meanwhile had instructed that this be referred to a Committee.

Dr. Liyanage said a total of 1550 AMOs and RMOs islandwide are participating in this strike action.

Stranger visits Press gallery
By Chandani Kirinde
A set of new guidelines to be followed when inviting visitors to the public gallery in Parliament, has been issued to party leaders for their approval, Speaker Joseph Michael Perera said.

The guidelines were decided upon because of the unruly incidents that shook parliament after the no-confidence vote on Interior Minister John Amaratunga was defeated in the House.

The guidelines would be finalised no sooner the party leaders approve them, the Speaker told the Sunday Times. The importance of having guidelines becomes real in the face of last week's incident in Parliament where a young woman posing as a reporter of a leading TV station managed to enter the Chambers claiming she was a guest of an MP. She was arrested on Tuesday after her identity card aroused suspicion when presented to the Sergeant-At-Arms W. Palliyaguruge for the purpose of obtaining a pass to enter the press gallery.

The head of the television station the woman pretend to represent came to Parliament when informed of the suspicion and confirmed that the office ID she carried was fake and his signature on it had been forged. He also confirmed that she was never employed in this institution. She had said her national ID was lost. Instead she carried a photograph certified by the Grama Sevaka of her village in Dikwella.

Although she was arrested on the 8th, investigations have revealed that she had visited the public gallery on at least two earlier occasions in the last month as a guest of two other MPs. Initial investigations have revealed that except for her name all other particulars declared by her are false. She was remanded till October 21.

SLT buys a chunk of Mobitel shares
By Tania Fernando
Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) has purchased shares of a mobile telephone operator.

With the change of hands the network will change from a digital to a GSM system and in future customers would have to purchase GSM mobile phones.

Chris Maloy, Managing Director of Mobitel, said that an agreement has been signed with SLT for the sale of 60% of Telstra Shares, the company which operated Mobitel. However, no discussion has yet been made with regard to future of Mobitel employees.

"There has been no discussion about what would happen to the staff, but a final agreement will be reached within the next couple of weeks. We cannot make any comment until the agreement has been finalised", said Mr. Maloy. Meanwhile an official of SLT said that with the purchase of Mobitel, a new GSM system would be introduced.

"We would continue the present digital system for sometime, but eventually change over to a total GSM system," he said.

He said that existing customers would eventually have to purchase GSM phones.

Meanwhile, staff of Mobitel said that they were unaware of the sale and are yet not sure as to what their fate would be.

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