Peace talks impasse widens THE IMPASSE between the People's National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) which has delayed the much anticipated talks between the parties' leaders for weeks, widened yesterday with both sides levelling accusations against each other. The deadlock remains unbroken, despite repeated assurances from the head of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), Peter Moses, that a meeting between the two leaders was imminent. General Secretary of the People's National Party, Senator Maxine Henry-Wilson, in a statement yesterday accused JLP deputy leader and spokesman on national security, Derrick Smith, as being "disingenious" and the party of "playing politics." But, Mr. Smith responded that, Senator Henry-Wilson should, instead, "use her influence" to ensure that the killing of JLP supporters in West Kingston stops. "I am speaking to the fact that since July 17, nine persons from West Kingston, including seven who are identified supporters of the JLP, have been killed by people from PNP controlled communities. The last being a man who was taken from a bus and killed at the intersection of Spanish Town Road and Collie Smith Drive on Thursday," Mr. Smith said. He said that the JLP was "very anxious" for the talks to get started, but was still concerned about the "relentless" attacks on its supporters in West Kingston in the midst of the talks. Senator Henry-Wilson, in a statement yesterday, accused the JLP of "seeking to make political propoganda" regarding the planned meeting between the two leaders and attempting to blame the PNP for the delay. She said that the first consultation between representatives of both parties agreed that a series of meetings would be held between Dr. Omar Davies, in his capacity as Member of Parliament for South St. Andrew, and Mr. Seaga, in his capacity as Member of Parliament for West Kingston and between the community leadership of the affected communities. These meetings, it was further agreed, would culminate with a meeting between both party leaders, she said. "Subsequent to that meeting, the JLP kept placing conditions on the holding of the agreed meetings, while the PNP insisted it was prepared to meet without conditions," she said. Senator Henry-Wilson said that it should be recalled that Prime Minister Patterson had stated, at the very outset, that he was prepared to meet "with anyone, at anytime and at any place." "This undertaking remains, because the party believes that a meeting at the highest level can play a pivotal role in dealing with the violence which plagues our country," she said.
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