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Sri Lanka will remain a strong, united country :
US praises Sri Lanka’s steps towards reconciliation
The US Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton reiterated USA’s
support for the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission established
by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to find out the root
causes of the terrorist problem, and to find solutions and reforms.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sri Lankan External
Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris met Friday to discuss Sri Lanka’s progress
a year after it successfully concluded its conflict against the LTTE
terrorist group. The two diplomats met afterward with reporters.
“ I am delighted to welcome Prof. Peiris to the State Department. I
first met him 15 years ago when I was in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is a
great pleasure to have the opportunity to discuss Sri Lanka’s efforts to
rebuild after more than two decades of violence and terrorist activity
that have deprived the Sri Lankan people of the progress they deserve.
Prof. Peiris is a capable, experienced public servant whose leadership
is helping to move Sri Lanka toward renewal and reconciliation and, we
hope, to greater peace, prosperity, and security for the future,” she
said.
The former US First Lady said that the United States has long been a
friend of Sri Lanka.
“Our countries share a history of democratic institutions, and we
have an active USAID program that has invested more than USD 1.9 billion
in Sri Lanka since 1956 and is currently helping to create new
opportunities for people who were displaced by the conflict,” she
continued.
“Since the LTTE terrorist group was defeated one year ago, USAID has
rebuilt or repaired seven schools and a hospital damaged by the
conflict, launched public-private partnerships in northern and eastern
Sri Lanka to create the equivalent of 5,000 full-time jobs in former
conflict zones, supported work training for young people to spur
economic development, and provided extensive aid and assistance to
internally displaced people seeking to return home,” she added.The
Secretary of State said that the United States will continue to provide
Sri Lanka with humanitarian and de-mining assistance to help heal the
wounds of war and bring lasting peace and prosperity to the country.
“As part of this effort, the minister and I discussed Sri Lanka’s
Reconciliation Commission. The United States strongly supports political
and ethnic reconciliation in Sri Lanka. Such commissions of inquiry have
played an important role in advancing accountability and redressing
wrongs in other countries emerging from periods of internal strife,” she
said. Clinton said she and Prof. Peiris discussed the issue of
internally displaced persons and that the US has observed “tremendous
progress” and many thousands and thousands of such internally displaced
persons have returned home.
“We discussed the need to continue the safe, dignified and voluntary
return to homes. Sri Lanka has made progress, and we will continue to
support efforts to safeguard the rights of IDPs and complete their
relocation.,”.
She said that after decades of LTTE rule in the north, the Sri Lankan
Government is committed to re-establishing democracy. “I was very
pleased by the briefing I received from the minister about the many
steps that are being taken to return to democratic order.
Sri Lanka will remain a strong, united country by drawing on the
strength of all of its citizens, valuing the diversity of its people,
and ensuring equal rights for everyone,” she concluded.
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