Walk the Talk: Mahinda Rajapaksa

•SG: Hello and welcome to Walk the Talk. I am Shekhar Gupta in Colombo’s Presidential Palace and my guest once again President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

MR: My pleasure

Welcome to Walk the Talk and very different circumstances from our last conversation.

MR: Quite. Yes, because when you came last time, I think it was about two years…two years ago.

•SG: Less than, Less than one-and-a-half years ago.

MR: Less than one-and-a-half years ago.

•SG: and I will tell you why I say one-and-a-half years.

MR: Yes, then of course we were not a, I would say a, united…unitary country now it its because earlier, when you came last time, North was…North and East I think was controlled by the LTTE terrorist. Now, we are free of terrorism.

•SG: You said you are a unitary country, but a federal unitary country I hope.Because last time in fact, when we had a conversation you said that in one-and-a-half years you said there will be peace and there will be no LTTE.

MR: Yes.

•SG: I said in one-and-a-half years, I reminded you, because it is still two months to one-and-a-half years.

MR: Yes

•SG: That situation has come about even faster than you had…even you had imagined.

... contd.