The fate of the no-confidence motion against the ruling People's Alliance (PA) coalition government will be decided on July 19, after a four-day debate in Parliament, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake has said.

''The government had decided to discuss the motion at the earliest as there is no doubt that it would be defeated'', he was quoted as saying by the state media on Friday.

At a function on Thursday, he said the government does not want to delay a discussion on the motion, as the people were curious about its outcome.

The prime minister alleged that certain political parties have taken the signature of some MPs of Tamil political parties for the no-confidence motion on the condition that the ban on the LTTE will be lifted.

''The people s alliance government will not betray the country by through such an unpatriotic act,'' he claimed.

Wickremanayake said he would not let the opposition dictate terms to his government, thus ruling out the possibility of cooperating with the United National Party (UNP) to tackle the country s problems while it is under threat.
Meanwhile, two promiment Mahanayake Theras of Kandy said changing or replacing the government at this crucial hour would not help solve any of the burning problems being faced by the nation.

It is more important under the present context to put together the resources and strength of both the government and the opposition for finding effective solutions to the ethnic problem, they observed. Bureau Report