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| Sunday, 22 September 2002 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Premier calls US, European businesses to 'invest in peace' "Governments of all political persuasions need to support our peace process for its own sake of course, but also as a hope for precursor and model to conflict resolution elsewhere," Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told the Business Forum at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York last week. Through his address themed 'Invest in peace', he enlightened US and European investors on the key features of the impending economic restructuring programme. "Your endorsement of the peace process helps to give it credibility and momentum. Human rights activists are courageous pioneers. But when conservative and often political corporate leaders also stand up to be counted, then society takes notice and the peace train picks up speed," he added. "Business offers more to peace than gestures. Private sector investment can reconstruct infrastructure, generate jobs, and produce goods and services. Investors can train and transfer know-how to young people whose education and productive capacity have been cruelly derailed by decades of civil conflict. Within the island, North and South trade will unite the domestic economy, bringing severed regions back into communications and commerce. Beyond our shores, renewed exports will re-link Sri Lanka to the global economy, generating precious foreign exchange to be recycled for industrial development. "Peace realises paralysed economic resources and actors including producers and consumers for effective mobilisation by private sector innovators"The destruction caused by the war has created a nation-wide need for repairs, reconstruction and recovery; a need directly translated into investment opportunities," the Prime Minister said. Chief Administrator of the United Nations Development Program Mark Brown inaugurated the forum and Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen, Minister of Economic Reform, Science and Technology Milinda Moragoda and Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New york C. Mahendran also addressed the forum. |
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