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Vital support from the West

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's visits to the EU and Britain, once again, underscore the continuing relevance of Lanka's foreign relations to its peace process. Besides being one of Sri Lanka's most important economic partners, the EU is currently solidifying its friendly relations with Sri Lanka, by throwing its considerable weight behind her peace effort.

Of special note are EU President Romano Prodi's words that once peace is achieved in Sri Lanka, the latter would be ready "for a big jump ahead", during which the EU would be willing to accompany it with a "strategy of progress and long-term participation". Earlier, Premier Wickremesinghe was quoted as thanking the EU for its vital economic and now, political support.

The readily bestowed economic and political support from the West, is proof of how united this section of the world community is with us in our search for peace. It is also a measure of how effective the Government's campaign to drum-up support worldwide has been. Support of such proportions for Sri Lanka, has not always been readily forthcoming. Besides the Prime Minister's personal diplomacy with the power centres of the West, it is the growing conviction externally, that Lanka is now on a more rational path to peace which is generating for her the goodwill and help of the West.

The EU's continuing support for the Lankan peace process would prove vital in the days ahead. As is well-known, massive financial support for the secessionist war, from a section of expatriate Lankans, was generated over the years in some countries of the West. Besides there was considerable moral and propaganda support for the separatist platform from the same sections of migrant Lankans.

The help of Western governments is vitally important in efforts to popularise the Lankan peace process among these migrant communities of Lankan origin and to convince them of the need to fully support it. An essential precondition for support of this kind from the West is the Lankan Government's earnestness in pursuing a just peace. This is the reason why top-level political contact between Sri Lanka and the West is essential. The Prime Minister's personal diplomacy would help greatly in this endeavour.

The Scandinavian countries are already a palpable presence here in the form of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission. Such facilitatory assistance could be said to be the visible evidence of one aspect of Western goodwill towards Sri Lanka. By taking the West into our confidence and working constantly with it, Sri Lanka could build a reservoir of goodwill which would stand it in good stead in the days ahead.

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