Foreign missions and national interests

Foreign policy observers note that these are times that Sri Lanka’s relations with the outside world have an extremely significant bearing on our national interests. While the advocates of a separate state had made consistent attempts to internationalise the conflict in the North and East since 1983, Sri Lankan governments, too, had wittingly and unwittingly played their part in internationalising the problem. Today, the role played by interested foreign nations would be of vital importance although finally, if the problem is to be settled, it has to be done by Sri Lankan themselves. In addition to this issue, considering the financial crisis that the country has got into, trade, aid and, last but not least, the housemaids who rake in the greatest component of our foreign exchange, too, need the assistance of our foreign missions.

Given these conditions, we would have expected our Foreign Ministry to be on top gear speeding ahead in promoting the country’s interests, but it has not been so. Today diplomatic observers point out that thirteen of our foreign missions overseas are without ambassadors or heads of missions. They are: Austria, Iran, Italy, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Nepal, Oman, Poland, South Africa, Sweden and last, but certainly the most important of all, the United States of America. It is said that the heads of a few other missions who have completed their periods of stay have been ordered back at the end of the year. Some of these ambassadorial posts have been vacant for more than five months and that includes our embassy in Washington, which is the most important of them of all to us!

Whatever the reasons may be for the present state of affairs, what is the message Sri Lanka is sending to the governments of these countries? Is it that we are not too concerned about our relations with them or that we do not take them too seriously?

According to well informed sources, immediately after the UNF government assumed office, all our heads of missions were transferred back to Colombo. That would have meant that we would not have had representation at ambassadorial level in any one of them. Fortunately wiser counsel had prevailed and the Prime Minister himself had intervened and cancelled the order.

The Foreign Ministry has experienced and skilled diplomats of repute such as the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Nihal Rodrigo, whose previous post was the head of the SAARC Secretariat in Nepal. But it does appear that this is not the work of the Foreign Secretary or those experienced in diplomatic affairs.

The Foreign Minister, Mr. Tyronne Fernando, has had the most arduous of tasks taken off his back by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, who has given over that task of negotiating with the terrorists and the Norwegian ‘facilitators’ to Minister Milinda Moragoda and Ambassador Godfrey Gunatilleke. Right now they are in Oslo.

Mr. Tyronne Fernando, too, has been visiting many foreign capitals since his appointment as foreign minister. He is also staking a claim to be the next Secretary General of the United Nations when the post falls vacant in 2005. Undoubtedly, much canvassing has to be done, considering Mr. Fernando’s late entry into international diplomatic circuits. He was our Deputy Foreign Minister in a previous UNP government, but such a post in a Third World country such as ours does not carry much clout in the corridors of international power. He is also been subject to criticism for his adverse comments on Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel, a country that had provided invaluable help in fighting terrorism here as well as his offer to mediate in the Kashmir dispute because India has been resisting internationalising the dispute for over 50 years. Even appointments to minor posts in the Foreign Ministry have come under heavy fire, it being pointed out that a large number of people from a provincial suburban town, south of Colombo, famed for its ‘baila’ have been appointed as peons and drivers while others with long experience working in foreign missions have been shoved aside. Some of these drivers with only a few years experience of driving in Colombo when they get behind the wheel in places like London, New York and Paris would be a positive hazard to our diplomats in the backseat, it has been pointed out.

Earlier, there were doubts whether the power of the executive president to make key appointments in government services was the cause of delay in the appointment of heads of missions to the vacant posts. Apparently it is not so.

Prime Minister Wickremasinghe should ask the Foreign Minister to take full control of his ministry and make certain national interests override personal, political and other interests.

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