President's priority - winning the hearts of Tamils

By Shanika SRIYANANDA

The German parliamentary delegation, which toured the North last week, commending the progress made in the aftermath of the war, said both, the government and Tamil leadership, needed to engage in a meaningful dialogue to address the root causes of the thirty year-old conflict.

"President Mahinda Rajapaksa explained to us that his priority now was the winning of the hearts and minds of the people in the North and the East. And we couldn't agree more", Head of the Delegation, Parliamentarian Petra Ernstberger said.

During their five-day stay in Sri Lanka, the parliamentarians, who are members of the South-Asian Friendship Group of the Bundestag, had a meeting with President Rajapaksa and gifted him a piece of the Berlin Wall as a memento.

In an interview with the Sunday Observer Ernstberger said: "The country's security situation has improved significantly".

She said that though they heard of unfortunate incidents of terror attacks, killings and displacement of civilians previously, the picture had changed within a period of one and half years after the ending of the war.

During their meetings with high profile Lankan government officials including Economic Development and Tourism Minister Basil Rajapaksa and External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris, they discussed the ongoing resettlement and reconstruction process in the North, the political process of reconciliation and the development of bilateral ties between Germany and Sri Lanka.

The German Parliamentarians who visited the Manik Farm IDP welfare centre in Vavuniya said resettling of IDPs had improved significantly. The government needed to closely coopperate with the international humanitarian agencies to provide them with safe houses and assistance to start their livelihood activities.

Following are the excerpts of the interview:

Q: Can you explain the purpose of your visit to Sri Lanka?

A: In the past we always heard sad news from Sri Lanka.

They were mostly about terror attacks, intensification of fighting in the North and then it was about the stories of thousands of internally displaced people, who were looking for refuge.

But, the picture has changed. The German Parliamentarians came to see the change and witness improvements personally to see where this country is heading to.

Q: What were the issues raised at your meeting with President Rajapaksa?

A: At the meeting with the President, he explained that his priority was winning the hearts and minds of the people in the North and the East. And we couldn't agree more. If the Tamil or Muslim population continues to feel like 'second class' citizens, peace will not be sustainable.

Q: Sri Lanka was once referred to as a dangerous zone in the world during the wartime that barred tourists visiting the island. How do you evaluate the present environment in the country? What do you have to say to the German tourists about Sri Lanka?

A: No doubt - the security situation of the country has significantly improved. That is why the German Embassy has relaxed its travel advisory.

Q: Will the travel advisory be fully relaxed considering the country's situation?

A: The travel advice only refers to current travel-affecting conditions such as ongoing state of emergency, areas in the North where the access restrictions are prevailed and also the areas that the de-mining is not completed yet. When these are improved the travel advisory would be relaxed in the concerned areas.

Q: In what ways can the German government assist Sri Lanka in post conflict development activities?

A: Since the early fifties, Germany has been one of the biggest development partners of Sri Lanka. Germany gives nearly 10 million Euros as development aid to Sri Lanka annually. And also the same amount through the EU - and UN - programmes. We concentrate our assistance on providing shelter, livelihood, enhancing economic activity and vocational training to Sri Lanka.

Q: Germany has assisted Sri Lanka's development for decades. Are there plans to increase this help in the post conflict era?

A: Don't forget - in international comparison Sri Lanka is quite a rich country! That is why I would be happy if my government would manage to uphold the present level of help for a few more years. Then, we should shift our focus from development assistance to projects of mutual interest, for example in the field of environmental protection and policy against climate change.

Q: The German government sponsored de-mining activities in the North and you have visited the site during your stay. What do you have to say about the de-mining and resettlement activities taking place in Sri Lanka?

A: The de-miners are engaged in a great job for society as a whole.

What I saw was people from many countries around the world working side-by-side to make Sri Lanka a safer place. That is a great show of international solidarity and I hope people in Sri Lanka will appreciate their assistance.

Q: During your visit to the Northern Province what are the special Observations that your group made?

A: There has been significant progress in resettling the IDPs in the North but much needs to be done to provide them safe houses and assist them to start their livelihoods. The international organisations like the UN and INGOs need to join the government to improve the living conditions of the resettled people.

Q: How can the German government help Sri Lanka to prevent pro LTTE propaganda activities in Germany?

A: Depending on the progress that we saw in Sri Lanka, we can speak more about it in Germany.

Q: What are your plans to increase trade between Sri Lanka and Germany?

A: I am not satisfied with the level of our bilateral trade with Sri Lanka. Both countries can do business better than this.

Ending the war is surely a positive factor, but in the very competitive international environment, it is obviously not enough to boost trade to and from Sri Lanka to Germany.

Q: Can the present economic and political stability in Sri Lanka Influence German investors to Sri Lanka?

A: Yes, German investors are looking forward for a sustainable political stability along with an efficient and corruption-free civil service. Skilled labour and a good basic infrastructure are positive elements for Sri Lanka to attract more investors to the country.