… promises to ‘objective review for GSP + renewal

Foreign Secretary Dr. Palith Kohona has called upon the world community to crack down on the LTTE’s fund raising network and help reduce its capacity of financing its war at a time Sri Lanka is about to end terrorism.

Dr. Kohona made this request during his tour of Brussels on 5 September 2008. He met Ambassador Xavier Demoulin, Acting Secretary General of the Belgian Foreign Ministry Joao Aguiar Machado, Deputy Director General of the European Commission, and Ambassador Tomasz Koslowski, Chief of Task Force on Asia of the European Council, according to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Brussels.

Dr. Kohona called on his interlocutors to support Sri Lanka’s request to ban the TRO and associated LTTE front organizations which contributed to the perpetuation of terrorism. He emphasized the need to separate terrorism related obligations of the international community from human rights.

Briefing the foreign dignitaries on the operations currently being carried out in Sri Lanka’s north to end terrorism, he said that the Government of Sri Lanka had adopted in collaboration with UN and international agencies a range of measures to mitigate difficulties encountered by IDPs.

Appraising his interlocutors of the APRC recommendations including the full implementation of the 13th Amendment, he reiterated Sri Lanka’s commitment to a political solution to the present conflict and detailed a series of measures taken in the Eastern Province to achieve that goal.

He requested the assistance of the European Union as well as the Belgian Government in the development of the Eastern Province to sustain democracy and peace.

Dr. Kohona also informed European and Belgian senior officials of the measures taken by the government to ensure the protection of human rights of all Sri Lankan citizens and action taken to bring the perpetrators of alleged violations to justice.

Informing his interlocutors that Sri Lanka would be presenting its application for the renewal of GSP+ benefits for the period 2009-2011, he expressly stated that Sri Lanka would satisfy the requirements of an objective review.

Both the Belgian and European officials congratulated Sri Lanka on utilizing this scheme to achieve substantial desired results, including better standards of living for the people, and encouraged Sri Lanka to make a strong application for the renewal of the scheme.

During his meeting with the Acting Secretary General of the Belgian Foreign Ministry,      Dr. Kohona expressed Sri Lanka’s appreciation to the Belgian authorities for the recent relaxation of the travel advisory on Sri Lanka. He stressed the need to further enhance bilateral ties through the increase of investment, trade, and tourism.

Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU, Ravinatha Aryasinha, Counsellor, Saroja Sirisena, and First Secretary, Senarath Dissanayake of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Brussels, were present at these meetings.