President focuses on terrorism, child soldiers, other issues with global leaders

US: President Mahinda Rajapaksa who addressed the 61st session of the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, met several world leaders and held discussions on issues ranging from terrorism, child soldiers, challenges before democracy and bilateral relations with those countries. He was also a guest of honour at the luncheon hosted by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.

President Rajapaksa also met the Swiss President Moritiz Leuenberger at the UN Headquarters at 10 a.m. The President expressed his firm belief that Switzerland should zealously guard its absolute neutrality in international affairs.

The President pointed out that the LTTE's illegal activities such as money laundering and harassment and intimidation of innocent Tamil civilians in Switzerland should be stopped with the full involvement of the Swiss Government.

President Rajapaksa attended the 61st session of the United Nations at 11.00 am (local time 8.30 p.m.) yesterday. A large number of leaders including the US President and the French President also attended this inaugural session.

The Round Table meeting followed the attending of the inaugural session of the United Nations and was attended by President Rajapaksa at the invitation of US President George W. Bush.

This meeting is specially named as a Round Table on Democracy. Sri Lanka was invited to this meeting because of the high regard as a longstanding democratic country. Along with Sri Lanka, two other longstanding democracies including India and United States attended this meeting.

Several African, South American and European countries attended this meeting as emerging democratic countries.

How to assist the emerging democracies to further their democratic values and ensure them becoming longstanding democratic countries was discussed in detail at the meeting. Specially, the steps needed to secure the democratic countries from terrorism, were discussed in detail.

On Tuesday afternoon, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Gutteres called on President Rajapaksa and discussed the provision of humanitarian assistance to people displaced by LTTE terrorism. The High Commissioner promised assistance towards the resettlement of the displaced.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, who is a former Prime Minister of Portugal recalled that he had visited Sri Lanka last month and fully grasped the problem. He said he had called on President Rajapaksa during that visit too.