Sri Lanka has always advocated the settlement of internal and international disputes by peaceful means, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona said.
“ Even in our own case with the LTTE, a terrorist outfit that challenged the very existence of the state of Sri Lanka, we took early recourse to negotiations. It was only after these efforts were repeatedly rebuffed, and endless and bloody provocations followed, that Sri Lanka launched a limited humanitarian rescue operation”, he said addressing the UN General Assembly Thematic Debate ‘ The Rule of Law and Global Challenges’.
He said the Government of Sri Lanka was committed to protecting the rights of all its people and fulfilling their just needs to enable them to realize their aspirations.
“Our willingness to engage with the United Nations to promote the rule of law based on constructive, fair, non-selective and objective assessments remains undiminished”. Dr. Kohona said.
In the case of my country, Sri Lanka, it was our very democracy and its institutions that were under siege for over twenty seven years by a ruthless terrorist outfit. We must therefore, recognize the tensions and difficulties that emerge while we try to balance national security interests and the advancement of individual rights under these demanding local circumstances as we move forward, he said.