Lanka's foreign policy, a role model

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's illustrious leadership and political maturity were demonstrated in ample measure in Sri Lanka's major diplomatic victories during last week's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth, Australia.

Despite sinister moves by LTTE sympathisers and politicians who depend on the LTTE ghosts for their survival, during CHOGM 2011, Sri Lanka beat all overwhelming odds to secure major victories on the international front. More importantly, Sri Lanka's stand was respected during the 54-nation meeting in the Western Australian capital.

Sri Lanka scored triple success when it beat litigation threats, concocted human rights allegations and attempts to change the venue of the next CHOGM to be held in Sri Lanka in 2013.

Tiger sympathisers and some foreign politicians, who depend heavily on the votes of expatriate Tamils and diaspora funding, launched their well-orchestrated campaign against Sri Lanka prior to CHOGM 2011. Having failed in similar attempts during the recent United Nations General Assembly in New York and UN Human Rights Council Sessions in Geneva, LTTE sympathisers again set their plan in motion in Sri Lanka's lead-up to CHOGM 2011.

The modus operandi was to first file a case in an Australian court against Sri Lanka's High Commissioner in Australia, Admiral (Rtd) Thisara Samarasinghe who has been doing a commendable job to counter LTTE propaganda. Thereafter, a well-known LTTE activist, Arunachalam Jegatheeswaran, who had helped the terrorists build underground weapons' depots, accused President Rajapaksa of war crimes and filed a case in the Melbourne Magistrate's Court to sling mud at his native country.

Notwithstanding their intimidating tactics and a well-orchestrated campaign by the Australian and a section of the international media in the lead-up to CHOGM, Sri Lanka stood its ground and took the bull by its horns.

Sri Lanka scored its first success when Jegatheeswaran's charges were quashed by Australia's Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland on the grounds that President Rajapaksa enjoys diplomatic immunity. Jegatheeswaran, who had been a committed LTTE militant and closely connected to the Tiger hierarchy, eventually conceded that he is an LTTE sympathiser.

The second onslaught against Sri Lanka was at the Commonwealth Foreign Ministerial level. Canada's attempt to question human rights violations in Sri Lanka was effectively shot down with the support of 15 countries which voiced strongly for Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) meeting.

During the final stages of the third session of the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers Conference, under 'any other subjects', Canada's Foreign Minister John Baird criticised Sri Lanka's accountability on human rights, which was countered by Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris who made a strong protest and objected to it. Prof. Peiris categorised it as an attempt to politicise the Commonwealth and vehemently objected to the remarks by his Canadian counterpart, saying that it was totally inappropriate at such a level of discussion.

Sri Lanka's stance was that such action by Canada ran contrary to accepted norms at a time the Commonwealth was steering ahead with modern realities. Sri Lanka stressed that it was not the practice of the Commonwealth to question the internal affairs of a member country. However, Sri Lanka pointed out that it was willing to hold bilateral discussions with member countries on the sidelines of CHOGM.

Sri Lanka's sincere friends proved themselves when 15 countries raised their voice strongly in support of Sri Lanka, condemning the remarks of Canada's Foreign Minister. Hence, the Chair of CMAG, Australia's Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd was obliged to concede that the consensus was clear and that he would not take the matter any further.

More significantly, several South Asian countries in one voice echoed that Sri Lanka's success in eradicating terrorism under President Rajapaksa was not only a victory for Sri Lanka but also to the entire SAARC region. It was also pointed out that the counter-terrorism measures adopted by Sri Lanka are important to peace and stability in the region.

The Tiger sympathisers failed woefully in their desperate attempt to shift the venue of the next 2013 CHOGM out of Sri Lanka. However, CHOGM 2011 ratified a decision taken in 2009 to hold the 2013 CHOGM in Sri Lanka. Despite various attempts to change the venue of the next summit, CHOGM stood by its original decision.

The manner in which Sri Lanka confronted heavy international criticism and concocted stories was exemplary, to say the least. All Sri Lankans could definitely feel proud over the manner in which Sri Lanka protected her dignity and identity in the eyes of the international community. There is no doubt that the Mahinda Chinthana has paved the way for these landmark victories. There was a time when Sri Lanka swallowed hook, line and sinker everything that the international community foisted on us. All Sri Lankans should bow their heads in shame when they recall the period prior to 2005 when we blindly gobbled everything dished out by the international community. However, there was a dramatic change in Sri Lanka's foreign policy since President Rajapaksa assumed office almost six years ago. Ever since, a true patriotic feeling was inculcated in all Sri Lankans, irrespective of their ethnic and religious affiliations. In this backdrop, all Sri Lankans were inspired to unite under the Lion flag and the national anthem took on added significance.

This true feeling for Mother Lanka transformed the country into a fast developing nation - from the ashes of three decades of terrorism. People far and wide in the island supported the Security Forces in the country's relentless battle against terrorism under the President's right political leadership. For the first time in 25 years, people developed a feeling of brotherhood towards the Security Forces who sacrificed their tomorrows to make our lives safer.

This no doubt inspired the Security Forces to take the terrorists head on and vanquished the world's most ruthless terrorist outfit. The Security Forces made the supreme sacrifice to eradicate terrorism from Sri Lanka's soil. It is with profound gratitude that we recall those great sacrifices by the true sons of our soil.

All Sri Lankans could be justifiably proud of their achievements. Moreover, the country has an illustrious leader who is capable of giving a better meaning to the splendid achievements of the Security Forces under Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Had it not been for President Rajapaksa's far sightedness and clear cut foreign policy, none of these victories would have materialised. It goes without saying that Sri Lanka's foreign policy is undoubtedly a role model for emerging nations.