Patterson willing to meet with Seaga PRIME MINISTER P.J. Patterson yesterday said he was willing to meet with Opposition Leader Edward Seaga in an attempt to find a permanent solution to the violence plaguing sections of West Kingston. He was speaking with journalists at Jamaica House, shortly after a near three-hour meeting with the leadership of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ). He is now awaiting the outcome of talks with the PSOJ and Mr. Seaga to to determine how soon he and the JLP leader meets. "I have always been prepared and remain prepared to meet with the Leader of the Opposition to discuss any issue of national importance. I would expect that after this discussion... the PSOJ which has offered to facilitate that process would be in touch with him and I await the outcome of those deliberations to settle when we can meet to further a national consensus on how we deal with the wider problems," Mr. Patterson said. On the measures discussed to return the area to normal in the shortest possible time, including the opening of the markets by weekend, Mr Patterson said: "These we would be wishing to discuss with the political Opposition, with the PSOJ, with the churches, with the labour movement and with other elements of the civil society". But, the talks, which Mr. Seaga said he would allow the PSOJ to broker, could be hampered by his insistence that certain "minimum requirements" be met. These include the immediate withdrawal of the security forces from his West Kingston constituency; the removal from frontline duty of Senior Superintendent Reneto Adams, head of the Crime Management Unit (CMU) who led last Saturday's operation into the area which left 25 persons dead; and the holding of a commission of inquiry to "uncover the truth". The PSOJ in a statement issued Tuesday following a tour of the affected communities, said increased communication between the two leaders was crucial to the prolonged stability of the area. Yesterday PSOJ president, Peter Moses said the "return to normalcy was very important for the overall country". He noted the potential for the disturbance to spread beyond the boundaries of Kingston, to the greater detriment of the country. Mr. Moses said the private sector was encouraged by the response from the Government and was hopeful that both sides will meet to find more lasting solutions. Meantime Mr. Seaga, in a hastily-called press conference at Le Meridien Jamaica Pegasus yesterday accused the Government of targeting his constituency. This he said was done to paint a bad picture of him in an effort to reverse his lead in the polls ahead of general elections due by December 2002. He charged that the same thing was done in 1997 when on May 6 and 7, Tivoli Gardens came under attack by members of the security forces. On that occasion, four persons were shot and killed. "It is a political device in the circumstances that the Government has no other answers to put before the people for the forthcoming general election," he asserted.
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