All segments of public opinion, irrespective of political differences, have just reason to be proud of Sri Lanka’s achievements at the SAARC Summit, which concluded in Colombo, Professor G. L. Peiris, Minister of Export Development and International Trade said in Ratnapura last week.

He was addressing meetings of the Bala Mandalayas at Eratna and Kuruwita, under the chairmanship of John Seneviratne, Minister of Power and Energy and District Leader in Ratnapura.

Despite all the malicious propaganda carried out assiduously by groups motivated by narrow and sectarian objectives to prevent the SAARC Summit from being held in Colombo this year, Prof. Peiris said that the successful completion of the Conference is a matter of legitimate pride to the nation as a whole.

One of the foremost considerations in this regard, he continued, is the conclusive refutation of the argument by the LTTE, and groups friendly to the LTTE, that Colombo is unsafe and, therefore, an unsuitable venue for the holding of the 15th SAARC Summit. The fact that all eight heads of State or Government representing the entirety of the SAARC region, had no hesitation in attending the Summit in Colombo, is the most compelling proof that the LTTE propaganda is bereft of substance, and has been rejected by the international community, the Minister stressed.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s assumption of the leadership of SAARC at this critical juncture is not a mere matter of protocol or ceremony but is immensely beneficial to Sri Lanka’s national interest, Prof. Peiris noted.

This is reflected with unmistakable clarity in the themes which had pride of place in the deliberations in Colombo, and the practical strategies that were unanimously agreed upon among the Heads of State and Government.

The underlying emphasis pervading the Colombo Declaration, Minister Peiris observed, was on pragmatic measures directed towards implementation rather than further time and effort being expended on the formulation of policy.

The selection of food security as a priority area is both timely and demonstrably advantageous to Sri Lanka, he said. The proposal with regard to the establishment of a buffer stock in respect of essential commodities will provide much needed protection for vulnerable economies against sharp fluctuations in world market prices, he pointed out.

The outstanding achievement of the Summit, he said, consisted of the progress which had been made towards collective action to combat terrorism. Leaders of the SAARC nations, comprising about one-fifth of the world’s population, had acknowledged that no country, acting in isolation, could effectively resist terrorism and that one of the undisputed priorities of public policy in the region related to the rapid implementation of measures pertaining to sharing of intelligence, surveillance of commercial and banking transactions entered into in circumstances giving rise to suspicion, and wide ranging co-operation in all matters relating to the suppression of terrorism, the Minister said.

These are all initiatives which require the unqualified support of the public, and the upcoming elections to Provincial Councils in the Sabaragamuwa and North Central Provinces provide an appropriate opportunity for the people to express that support, Prof. Peiris said.

While addressing difficult issues connected with the military action and the global crisis with regard to fuel and commodity prices, the Government has been able to serve the people in a spectacular way in the development and welfare sectors, he observed.

Prof. Peiris made special reference to the enormous benefits which the people of Ratnapura had derived from the work done within a remarkably briefly time span by Minister John Seneviratne to bring electricity, and all the benefits accompanying it, within reach of thousands of households.