At UNGA :

President calls for rethink on fight against terrorism

By Manjula FERNANDO

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's stirring speech to the United Nations General Assembly, in which he called for a rethink on the international humanitarian laws governing the fight against terrorism, is being universally hailed as a resounding success.

Many friendly countries have sent congratulatory messages to President Rajapaksa for the landmark speech which also outlined his plans for lasting peace, reconciliation and development in post-conflict Sri Lanka.

Significantly, the President was addressing the General Assembly for the first time after defeating LTTE terrorism in May 2009, as the Head of State of the only country which had eliminated terrorism in the contemporary world. Thus his speech was eagerly awaited, enthusiastically received and minutely analyzed for his valuable insights into containing the menace of terrorism.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's speech at the UN General Assembly which called on world powers to rethink on the international laws governing the conduct of war came in for praise with many countries sending in congratulatory messages as he concluded as the seventh speaker of the opening day on September 23.

The President said," It is worth examining the capacity of current international humanitarian law to meet contemporary needs."

"It must be remembered that such law evolved essentially in response to conflicts waged by the forces of legally constituted States, and not terrorist groups. The asymmetrical nature of conflicts initiated by non-state actors gives rise to serious problems which need to be considered in earnest by the international community."

He said the people of Sri Lanka were victims of many of the atrocities of terrorism that the West has come to experience in recent times, for 30 years. And we have lost almost one hundred thousand lives, among them being a President of Sri Lanka, a visionary leader of India and scores of intellectuals and politicians to this terrorism.

The LTTE was an organisation so brutal, that even those it claimed to represent the Tamil community of Sri Lanka, were as much victims of its terror as the rest of the population of our country.

"Those who observing from afar, suggested that the Sri Lankan government should have conceded to the demands of the terrorists, need to be reminded that terror is terror, whatever mask it wears and however it is packaged.

To all those, I say this. My responsibility is to the entire nation. My responsibility is to the lives of millions of men, women and children, and those yet to be born. My responsibility is to the peace and prosperity of the nation and the right to a peaceful life for all who live there."

"As we close a sad chapter in our country's history, I would like to remind you that we, along with many others, made repeated attempts to engage the LTTE in constructive dialogue. I still believe dialogue is the best method to resolve any conflict but, it is much to be regretted that all these attempts were rejected with reckless arrogance and contempt."

The president emphasized that it is in these circumstances that he was compelled to mount a humanitarian operation with the blessings of many international friends, to neutralise acts of terrorism and restore peace and security.

There was considerable interest in the participation of the Sri Lankan President in the sessions of the UNGA as it was his first address to the Assembly since Sri Lanka successfully defeated terrorism in May 2009.

The country also gained much recognition for the speed with which the country has successfully brought down the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from nearly 300,000 in May last year to less that 25,000 today.

The success of the Sri Lankan economy in the post-conflict period, with an unprecedented pattern of growth, in the midst of a global economic and financial crisis, and the new opportunities for investment in Sri Lanka are also matters that drew the attention of UN organizations and various international and regional think-tanks participating and observing development trends and strategies worldwide, at the UNGA Sessions.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and other members of the Sri Lankan delegation of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 65th Session arrived at the John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York on September 20 early morning. The delegation included First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, several senior Ministers, MPs and Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga.

He met the UN Secretary General on Friday and the discussions mainly revolved round the progress of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.

Meanwhile the Second Millenium Development Goals Progress Report launched last week said Sri Lanka is on track to achieve the targets for most of the indicators by 2015 and the country is in the forefront of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) agenda.

It has already achieved several MDGs, especially in the health and education sectors. Sri Lanka has also made great strides in poverty alleviation, child and maternal mortality rates and gender equality.

The report was launched in Colombo with the participation of Finance Deputy Minister Dr Sarath Amunugama and UNDP Resident Representative Neil Buhne.

President Rajapaksa at the MDG plenary session held on September 20 in New York, ahead of the UNGA said, Sri Lanka has incorporated Millennium Development Goals key performance indicators in our national budget policies.

He pointed out that as a result Sri Lanka has already attained or is on track to attain the MDGs, despite formidable odds, including the almost thirty years of a violent terrorist movement and the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

"In terms of universal primary enrolment and completion, we had recorded a level of almost one hundred percent (100%) by year 2007.

Gender parity in primary education has reached ninety nine percent (99%) and in secondary and tertiary enrolment, the ratio of girls to boys exceeds one hundred percent (100%)," the President said.

Emphasizing the imperative need for protecting the environment, the President said, "while we strive to achieve reasonable standards in living, we must not forget the need to avoid treading heavily on the natural environment.

The current spate of natural disasters around the world and frequent flood situations in countries, are a stark reminder of the effects of environmental degradation.

Sri Lanka and Norway laid foundation for fresh start when President Mahinda Rajapaksa met with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenburg at bi-lateral discussions on the sidelines of the general assembly on September 21.

The Norwegian Prime Minister observed it was very important that President Rajapaksa was engaging in both rebuilding the country and reconciliation among communities, and said that Norway was eager to play a supporting role in the emerging situation in Sri Lanka.

When inquired what role Norway could play in strengthening the peace that has now been established, and also assist in reconciliation, President Rajapaksa said the best role for Norway today would be to assist in development.

When the matter of political reconciliation was taken up and when inquired if Norway could play a role in this, President Rajapaksa expressed the problems of the Tamil people should be resolved through their leaders within the country.

He explained that there was no purpose in those who claimed to support the Tamil people, organizing protests abroad, instead of returning to Sri Lanka and work with the Tamil people here.

Norway's Minister for the Environment and International Development Eric Solheim expressed interest in visiting Sri Lanka to identify areas in which the two countries could cooperate in development activity. He showed interest in areas such as environment, fisheries and the hospitality industry.

President Rajapaksa informed the Norwegian delegates that Tourism in Sri Lanka had risen by 196 per cent in the last year, and there was ample scope for development and investment in that sector.

Solheim also said that the leaders of the expatriate Tamil community in the West should take a proper view of the changes now taking place in Sri Lanka

The further strengthening of bonds between Sri Lanka and Iran was the keynote of discussions between Iranian President Mohamoud Ahmadinejad and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa when they held bi-lateral discussions at the United Nations.

President Rajapaksa thanked the Iranian President for the assistance given to Sri Lanka by Iran, especially the concessionary terms for the sale of fuel, the upgrading of the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery and assistance for the Uma Oya Irrigation Project.

The Iranian leader congratulated President Rajapaksa on his leadership in the successful defeat of terrorism, and the steps being taken to build peace in the country with reconciliation among all communities.

Both leaders agreed to improve trade relations between Sri Lanka and Iran, giving emphasis to expand Sri Lankan tea exports to Iran.

A committee of senior officials from both countries to expedite the expansion and development of the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery and the possibility of Sri Lanka obtaining high quality drugs manufactured in Iran, and the supply of ayurvedic medicinal preparations from Sri Lanka were among the other topics covered in the discussions.

Both leaders agreed on the need to further strengthen relations between Sri Lanka and Iran, in the backdrop of Sri Lanka showing remarkable progress in economic activity after the protracted war to defeat terrorism.

President Rajapaksa had bilateral discussions with Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani on Monday.The Emir responded favourably to a request by President Rajapaksa for Qatar to supply Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) to Sri Lanka for development needs. There was also agreement for Qatar to help in the development of Tourism in Sri Lanka, with increased visitors and investment in the industry.

The welfare of nearly 95,000 Sri Lankans currently employed in Qatar was among the key topics covered at the meeting, and as per the President's request the Emir agreed to make land and other facilities available to establish schools with the best facilities for the Sri Lankan children in the Emirates.

In a meeting with the President Under-Secretary General and Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict Dr Radhika Coomaraswamy said she was impressed and pleased with the rehabilitation of children who had been forcibly drawn into the armed conflict by the LTTE.

She expressed satisfaction at the steps being taken to rehabilitate and provide both education and training to the children who had been caught in the conflict.

President Rajapaksa outlined the steps being taken by the government to provide good education, skills training and other facilities to children who had been denied their childhood by the LTTE, and said that both parents and children of the affected families were highly appreciative of the initiatives taken by the Government in this regard.

He also said the UN and other international organizations could contribute and participate more in this work, which had been given priority by the Government.

Dr Coomaraswamy was also informed that the situation on the ground, regarding former child soldiers, child victims of terror, were far different from what was often reported in the western media, where the reality and true impact of Government initiatives in this regard were either not reported or distorted in reportage.

President also met the Heads of States of Turkey and Jamaica and discussed investment opportunities in Sri Lanka's booming construction and the tourism sectors.

External Affairs Minister Prof. G L Peiris, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, External Affairs Secretary Romesh Jayasinghe, Namal Rajapaksa MP, Sri Ranga MP and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka in the UN Dr Palitha Kohona were associated with President Rajapaksa in the discussions.