Minister Navin Dissanayake said that he will be happy to see former Secretary of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa being given a responsible position within the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

Speaking to the media at an event yesterday, Dissanayake said that Rajapaksa played a central role in the defeat of the LTTE and he has administration capabilities.

Therefore, he has nothing against seeing Gotabaya Rajapaksa being appointed to a position in the SLFP, Dissanayake said.

The Minister made these observations when he was asked if he had any role to play in suggesting the name of Rajapaksa as a possible office bearer of the SLFP. He refuted these rumors, adding that if he was able to do such a thing, he must be "a magician".

Several SLFP stalwarts have proposed the name of Rajapaksa to be appointed to a position in the SLFP, as a measure to bring about reconciliation between the pro-Maithripala Sirisena and pro-Mahinda Rajapaksa factions in the party.

However, Gotabaya Rajapaksa recently said that he was not going to accept such a post even if he is appointed.