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Prime Minister hopeful of peace

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday expressed the firm belief that his country would not face any war situation in future and invited the European Commission to send a team to observe and submit a critical assessment of the peace process in order to strengthen the Peace effort.

Delivering a special address to the European Parliament the Prime Minister said the individual ceasefire announced by the Government and the LTTE last December has now been transformed into a mutually agreed permanent ceasefire. From the very start the Government has taken all pains to maintain the ceasefire without breaking it through suspicion, misunderstanding or any untoward action.

He said however that if not for the continuous support received from the international community towards the peace process there would have been room for the peace effort to breakdown reverting the country back to war.

Earlier the Prime Minister was accorded a rousing welcome on his arrival at the European Parliament by MPs led by Mirando Joachim, Chairman of the Development Committee.

The Prime Minister continuing his address said "we are setting about everything regarding the peace process in a fully transparent manner. We don't believe that peace talks should be held in a hurry. Some people are criticising our slow approach.

But they should understand that I am engaged in a very dangerous and intricate job. Peace will not come in a hurry. But some believe that peace has already dawned in Sri Lanka."

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said one could not expect peace to return quickly in a country where 65,000 lives had been lost and towns and villages had been destroyed by war and there's easy access to weapons. As much as for the peace effort several years have to be spent to dispel suspicion and mistrust among the Sinhala and Tamil communities and build mutual confidence among them. It should be emphasised that confidence building is the path to peace. For this the A-9 highway to the North has been now opened and facilities are being provided to the people in the North and East.

Describing in detail the confidence building measures undertaken by the Government among the Tamil people in the North and East Mr. Wickremesinghe said he came before the European Parliament due to his firm conviction that peace could be achieved in Sri Lanka. The Prime Minister said Sri Lanka needed the support of the EU for the success of the Peace effort.

He invited the European Commission to provide a critical assessment of the current peace effort by sending a team of observers to Sri Lanka. His government was willing to act according to the observations and criticisms submitted by such a team of observers, as it would held to guide the peace effort on the correct path.

The Prime Minister also requested the European Commission to lend its professional expertise to Sri Lanka to revive its administrative structure and assistance to resettle people displaced by war and solve the grave unemployment problem. He said the agriculture and fisheries sector in Sri Lanka needed further development and urged European countries to open its free market to Sri Lankan produce.

The Prime Minister said the European Union's Free Market system had gained wide international acclaim. The EU has always helped developing countries to march towards progress through its free market system. He said Sri Lanka needed further EU assistance in this sphere.

He said the EU had been a great source of strength to the Sri Lankan earning. The garment industry which accounted for 50 per cent of the country's foreign exchange earnings depended much on the EU market. The garment Quota agreement with the EU was due to lapse in the year 2004. If the quota system is abolished it would ruin the Sri Lankan economy and threaten the jobs of about 500,000 youth engaged in the garment industry. He would therefore request European countries to come to Sri Lanka's assistance and provide jobs security for these youth. A nation with a dwindled economy cannot raise its head without outside support. The ensuing years therefore will be most critical for Sri Lanka and its economy, he said.

The Prime Minister said while finding a lasting solution to the ethnic crisis through talks the country had to face the challenges faced by the economy. He urged the European Commission to extend the necessary support for Sri Lanka to overcome these crises and challenges.

After his address, the Prime Minister fielded questions posed by European Commission MPs regarding the current peace process, decentralisation of power, media freedom, death penalty and various other sections.

The MPs were full of praise for the answers given by the Prime Minister so much so that they gave him a standing ovation. 

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