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| Sunday, 10 March 2002 |
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Norwegian help requested to develop sea resources The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), while congratulating the Ambassador for Norway in Sri Lanka Jon Westborg for successfully facilitating a negotiated ceasefire between the Government and the LTTE, has requested Norwegian support to develop the island's resources of the sea. The letter written by CCC Chairman Chandra Jayaratne to Mr. Westborg says: "We applaud your initiatives, commitment and independent facilitative role in bringing about the ceasefire. It is our fervent hope that in the months ahead, with your facilitation and continuing commitment, we will be able to witness an acceptable solution to this long-standing conflict which will then lead to economic prosperity for the nation and its people." CCC submissions made to the new government titled 'Strategies for leveraging growth through the private sector', have shown the resolution of the North-East conflict, ethnic crisis and the war in the North as fundamental to economic growth with the private sector as the key catalyst. "The CCC lays high emphasis on the effective utilisation of the resources of the sea as a key element of the strategy for national economic growth." it says. The Chamber has also sent a copy of the strategy document to the Ambassador. The letter further says that the Economic Intelligence Unit of the Chamber hopes to complete in draft an outline report on the opportunities for effective utilisation of the resources of the sea, which it hopes to publish later in the year to attract foreign and local investments to exploit the niche opportunities of these resources. The letter also recalls a discussion the CCC had with Ambassador Westbory early last year seeking the Norway Government's facilitative support in compiling and publishing a more comprehensive note on the commercial opportunities to exploit the resources of the sea around Sri Lanka. "The CCC would be grateful if professional resources from Norway facilitated through the Embassy or NORAD could review and develop our outline report to compile a more comprehensive and informative report for the benefit of potential investors, and entrepreneurs and policy makers", states the letter. "With the prospect of some of the restrictions for effective exploitation of the sea resources being relaxed and then removed in the months ahead, we believe that surfacing the opportunities for commercial exploitation of sea resources at this stage is crucial for future economic growth of Sri Lanka," it says. The CCC has requested for a meeting with Mr Westborg and the officials of the Embassy to further discuss matters raised in the letter. |
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