Sri Lanka, highly desirable posting - Dr. Palitha Kohona

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The United Nations Staff Union (UNSU) cannot discourage UN officials from undertaking assignments in Sri Lanka, as the country is considered to be one of the highly desirable postings in the world, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Palitha Kohona said.

Commenting on the recent assessment by the UNSU, which categorised Sri Lanka among 'the world's most dangerous places for aid workers', Dr. Kohona, the former Chief of the UN Treaty Section in New York, in an interview with the 'Sunday Observer' said that the assessment was based on somebody's imagination to discredit the government.

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Following are the excerpts:

Q: President Mahinda Rajapaksa had called all Sri Lankan diplomats and missions to brief them about the Government's policy on combating terrorism and other important issues. Has there been any progress in this direction?

A: Yes, he called all ambassadors and high commissioners to Colombo last year to brief them on the series of political measures to be taken to combat LTTE terrorism which has taken both domestic and international dimensions.

It was also important for the ambassadors to be briefed on the Government's economic policies. We also wanted to sensitise them to be aware of our economic priorities and also our priorities in the areas of tourism and investments.

In the past, we had not deployed the foreign service adequately to deal with these issues. Under Mahinda Chinthanaya, it is important for the country to make the best use of its foreign service, by engaging our diplomats to focus on inward investments, tourism and especially on our struggle to crush LTTE terrorism.

The progress of these actions has been quite significant. Last year, a number of Western governments had undertaken legal measures against the LTTE and its front organisations.

In the USA, over 20 people had been prosecuted by the authorities for fund-rasing, assisting the LTTE and arms procurements. Some of them have already been sentenced to jail terms. In France, 17 people have been brought before the court for intimidation, extortion, illegal fund-raising, money laundering and also arms procuring.

In Britain, three people have been brought before the courts so far. In Australia too, three people have been brought before the courts. A major investigation is going on in London on the credit card fraud. Other actions are being taken in other parts of the world against the LTTE.

It can be said that the actions undertaken by the Foreign Ministry in pursuant to extortions made by the President is now beginning to bring results. In addition to that, American authorities recently banned the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO); this is a major victory.

The TRO was raising funds worth millions of US $ in America quite openly until it was banned by the USA. We are continuing our ease and will continue to lobby with other governments to do the same. The President has undertaken a number of visits to other countries including India, the Vatican, Italy, Uganda, China and Japan.

The message he takes to these countries is always the same - "we need assistance in dealing with LTTE terrorism and we would be appreciate very much if our friends assist us in this respect".

We have also launched a major campaign to bring in additional funding to Sri Lanka by way of aid and also by way of direct investments. The results have been unimaginable. I would say with the visit of the President to Iran, we have received development assistance to the tune of over US$ 1.9 billion from the Iranian government.

This is almost unprecedented. Japan has increased its aid for this year. The aid from China is flowing at a rate that has never been seen before. Aid from India is also a major player in development assistance now.

So, the President's and Foreign Ministry's efforts have borne fruit in a significant manner. Last year, direct foreign investments to Sri Lanka was quite high over US$ 600 million. These things did not happen in a vacuum; they happened because of the efforts made by the President, Foreign Minister and the Foreign Ministry.

Q: Sri Lanka is one of the oldest democracies in the world and had a broad and open foreign policy which had been commended by the international community. But in the recent past the foreign policy of the Mahinda Rajapaksa government had come under criticism. What are your comments?

A: Yes, essentially, the foreign policy means a policy that we adopt to develop our relationships with other countries, to consolidate our relations and also to advance our interests in the international arena.

I have just explained how our efforts have borne fruits with a range of countries in our dealings with the LTTE in our endeavoures to control the LTTE and its fund-raising mechanisms. This has been quite successful. Similarly, our efforts to attract more development assistance have been extremely successful.

We have a very good rapport with other countries. Our efforts to curb the LTTE have been successful. Our efforts to attract assistance for development projects have been successful. Direct foreign investments continue to flow into the country.

Last year, quite a number of high-powered overseas delegations visited Sri Lanka. We had over a hundred strong delegations from Myanmar, Thailand, China, Malaysia, Korea and Japan.

I think when we look at the facts, it seems that these criticisms are generally based on assumptions and illusions rather than on reality.

Q: Another criticism is that the country is losing its foreign friends due to short-sighted acts and criticism by certain politicians. Do you think Sri Lanka is now internationally isolated, and what are the steps taken to renew old ties?

A: I think it depends on the perceptions on what the ties are. Our ties are not limited to a certain part of the world. Our ties are global. Our ties with India have reached a level which had not been attained previously. These are the very words of the Prime Minister of India.

He said that our relations now are at an all time best. Then we have our relationship with Japan. Japan has promised us more aid this year than at any time before and China is giving us a substantial amount of aid. The same goes for Iran. I think our ties are very strong.

When people make these comments, they should not forget that our ties are not focused on one part of the world, but on a global basis. In fact, our ties with Europe have not deteriorated that much.

Of course, there is criticism, not necessarily from government, but from non-governmental sources. But at the same time, our approach is that when friends make comments, we listen, but when people comment on our activities without a substance, we react.

The Government and the Foreign Ministry have at no time being critical of our friends. In a democracy, individuals are free to say what they like. Sri Lanka is one of the oldest democracies in the world, as you said.

Against this background, when individuals overseas leaders - or countries comment for whatever reason, we have to understand the context.

Q: It is also reported that certain ad hoc statements by some top politicians have resulted in the country's image worldwide being tarnished. How does the Foreign Ministry face such situations and do you think that such statements make a major impact?

A: I do not think there has been any major impact from these statements. In most democracies, we find comments being made by individuals - they may be politicians or others. Such comments are also directed by a range of other actors in the world stage. It is natural that these things happen in democracies.

Q: Do you think we have sidelined India when it comes to major issues, like solving the national issue, which also affects India?

A: Absolutely not! We keep India closely informed. We engage with India on a regular basis and consult India on a regular basis. So there is no question of India being sidelined. In fact, our relationship with India is very close now.

Q: The Government had a very good rapport with the international community because of the good relations maintained by the Late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. What achievements of that nature have been effected under the present administration?

A: I think I have already responded to this question, but one comment I should make is that we all acknowledge the wonderful service that Mr. Kadirgamar rendered to this country.

There is nobody who would challenge that. Because of the service that he rendered to this country, he paid with his life. What we are doing now is continuing with his good work.

Q: The Sri Lankan government has opened the doors to UN officials, tolerating their negative statements. Some such officials have even gone to Wanni, ignoring the guidelines of the Foreign Ministry. How does the Government deal with such Foreign officials?

A: There are two issues here. One is that we have accommodated senior UN officials. This is done because we want to be transparent. We are engaging with the international community in an honest and transparent manner.

It is on this basis that the President invited the High Commissioner of Human Rights and other senior UN officials to visit this country. We have engaged with them in an open, honest and transparent manner as much as possible.

Sri Lanka has nothing to hide. We have in the past being a very active participant in the international community and our objective is to continue our participation in the international community.

In this process, we will not hide anything and will not camouflage anything. We will work with the international community to achieve the global goals set by them because we have been a party to negotiate these goals. So, there is no question about us keeping away from the international community.

The other thing is we have talked to the UNICEF and we reminded them that when they go cross the barrier at Omanthai, they need to seek the permission of the Government, mainly because of the consistency in the UN goals of not dealing with terrorists. The Government also strongly discourages high-ranking UN officials interacting with terrorist organisations.

Q: The British envoy recently made certain comments with regard to the internal affairs of Sri Lanka.What is your view on those comments?

A: We have reminded the British envoy that what he did was improper.

Q: The present Foreign Minister is known as the Foreign Minister who had made the highest number of foreign trips. Do you think that his trips have had a major impact in boosting the country's image, and also the government's intention to get support from the international community to crush terrorism?

A: I think it is unfair to ask me to comment on my Minister. What is more important is that the Foreign Minister's trips have been undertaken with a view to advancing the country's foreign policy objectives.

Q: If someone claims that our foreign service is politicised what would be your answer?

A: There is no foreign service in the world which is not politicised. The foreign service is there to advance the country's goals, which are determined by the political masters of the country. In this country, our political masters are elected representatives of the people.

Therefore, it is the bounden duty of the Foreign Ministry to advance the goals of those political masters.

Q: To what extent has the Foreign Ministry harnessed the assistance of expatriates?

A: We are working closely with expatriates. Sri Lanka has a very large expatriate community in different countries. It is the goal of the President to interact with them and also encourage them to do things for the benefit of the country including encountering LTTE propaganda overseas.

We encourage them to think of Sri Lanka as a place where they can safely invest their earnings. The government also wants to encourage expatriates to continue to be engaged with us as we progress.

Q: The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has accused the Government of sending Karuna there on a diplomatic passport. What is your comment?

A: The Government did not give any diplomatic passport to anybody by the name of Karuna.

Q: What do you have to say about the alleged assistance given to Karuna by a key official attached to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Paris? Are you going to take disciplinary action against those who are involved in this alleged conspiracy?

A: I am unaware of this.

Q: Is it true that the UN Staff Union has listed Sri Lanka among the world's most dangerous places for aid workers and advised their staffers not to engage in assignments in Sri Lanka? As a former UN staffer, who held a top UN post, how do you see this situation, and what action has the ministry taken to clear the situation?

A: The UN Staff Union is not what it portrays to be. It does not reflect the views of the bulk of the members of the UN. This I can say with a high degree of confidence. I am personally aware that the UN Staff Union meetings are not attended by more than a few dozen of people, although the Staff Union theoretically has a membership of around 13,000.

I think the UN Staff Union will find it very difficult to dissuade the UN staffers from coming to Sri Lanka. I am saying this with my own experience of the numbers who are lining up for postings to Sri Lanka, because Sri Lanka is considered as a highly desirable posting.

Sri Lanka is a place where these staffers are very comfortable and enjoy much higher standards of life than in most other countries around the world. So it will be very difficult for the UN Staff Union to discourage the UN staffers from coming to Sri Lanka.

The other important thing is that the assessment that they have brought is based on somebody else's imagination. We know from experience that no UN staffer has suffered any disadvantage or any injury in Sri Lanka. As to how this UN Staff Union could come to this conclusion remains a mystery. I would suggest that this was done by interested persons simply to discredit the government.

Q. What is the Government's position on bringing the LTTE back to the negotiating table?

A: We have tried and tried! You know that the President had even offered to talk to the leader of the LTTE. The Government has consistently maintained the position that it is sitting at the table and it is up to the LTTE now to come for talks. But the LTTE leader has consistently refused to come for talks with us.

In 2006, we went to Geneva twice and it was the LTTE that walked out. In June, I led a delegation to Oslo. But the LTTE, after having being brought to Oslo by the Norwegian Government, refused to sit at the negotiating table.

So, it is very difficult to imagine what more can be done to bring them back to the peace process. I hope that our continuing efforts to bring them back and our continuing desire to deal with their specific grievances will encourage them to return to the negotiating table.

Q: What is the Government's stand on the CFA?

A: The Government has not done anything to bring the CFA to an end so far. It is still in existence.

Q: If the LTTE agrees to commence peace talks, what will be the Government's response?

A: We will very much welcome them. But we have to ensure that the LTTE comes back to the negotiating table not with a view to re-group, re-arm and then launch another offensive as they have done repeatedly in the past. We welcome them at any time if they can come genuinely with a view to ending this conflict in an honourable and sustainable manner.

Q: Do you think that Thamilselvan's death is a setback to commence peace talks?

A: I do not think so. I do not think that Thamilselvan was an important figure in the peace process. In our assessment, he never had a voice of his own, and he was only reflecting the views coming from Kilinochchi.

If the LTTE wants peace, it can be done now with or without Thamilselvan. I think it is a myth to say that Thamilselvan was an important element in the peace process. He was not a peace dove but a militant. He acquired his strength in the battlefield and not in a peaceful way. He was also known to have managed and directed brigades in the battlefronts.

Q: Do you believe that we can crush terrorism without external support?

A: Terrorism has to be opposed and subdued. Whether terrorism can be crushed is another matter. But we are getting the support of the international community and they have assisted us in many ways. We are very grateful to the international community.

I am sure since the international community is itself committed to eliminate terrorism. In whatever form, it will continue to extend its blessings to Sri Lanka to counter terrorism.

Q: To what extent has the country received foreign assistance to develop the Eastern Province?

A: We have received commitments from a number of countries and some of these commitments have already been implemented. There is a major highway from Trincomalee to Batticaloa and another will be constructed from the Southern Eastern coast to Matara. A bridge linking the Eastern Province to the Central Province has been completed recently.

We are launching initiatives to revive the tourism industry, agriculture and animal husbandry in the Eastern Province.

The fisheries industry will also be improved. Entities such as the European Union, World Bank and Asian Development Bank have also extended support in these endeavours.

The Government is also getting support bilaterally, from countries like the Czech Republic, Austria and France in its efforts to develop the Eastern Province. But essentially, these should be domestic efforts. We will achieve this target and make the Eastern Province more developed.

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- No diplomatic passport issued by the Gover nment to a person by the name of Karuna.

- No foreign service in the world which is not politicised.

- It is a myth to say that Thamilselvam was an important element in the peace process as he was not a peace dove but a militant.

- Welcome the LTTE for negotiation anytime, but needs to ensure that they resume talks with no idea of re-grouping, re-arming and then launching offensives, as in the past.

- Difficult to imagine what more can be done to bring the LTTE back to the peace process.

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