‘Lanka for realisation of Palestinians inalienable rights ’

S. JAMALDEEN from Tehran

TEHRAN: Sri Lanka has been a consistent advocate for the realisation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

We share their hopes and aspirations of seeing an end to foreign occupation, the achievement of a lasting solution for the consolidation of a Palestinian State and a durable peace, said Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Hussein Ahamed Bhaila.

He was speaking at the Non Aligned Movement Ministerial meeting on Human Rights and Cultural Diversity in Tehran on September 4.

The Sri Lanka delegation to the Conference comprised the Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Hussein Ahamed Bhaila, Sri Lanka Ambassador to Iran, M. M. Zuhair and First Secretary of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Tehran B. Vidyarathna.

The Deputy Minister who represented Foreign Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said: “I must recall here that several years ago, it was the Iranian Government that took the initiative in the United Nations to call for a dialogue among civilisations.

Today more than ever, with the impact of globalisation, there is a need for increasing contact and cooperation among the major religions and cultural systems to promote respect and tolerance for cultural diversity.

I am confident that this meeting will reaffirm the commitment by Member States to develop an integrated approach towards cultural diversity and the university of human rights.

Such an integrated approach will help inspire the emerging discourse on the concept of a multi-cultural world in the context of migration and development as well as globalisation.”

He said: “In Sri Lanka, the four major religions in the world, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity have coexisted peacefully for centuries, nourishing the socio-economic base as well as providing the ethical foundations of our society.

Even today, the Buddhist temple, the Hindu kovil, the Islamic mosque and the Christian church are found close to each other in major urban centres, evidence of our vibrant history of cultural pluralism practised since ancient times.”

“Sri Lanka, like most member States emerging from colonial rule have had to face the challenges stemming from imposed divide and rule policies, in the course of achieving independence and undertaking nation building in the modern era.” Bhaila said .

“It is in this context, that Sri Lanka had extended unequivocal support for countries emerging from colonial rule or foreign occupation. Sri Lanka has been a consistent advocate for the realisation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

We share their hopes and aspirations of seeing an end to foreign occupation, the achievement of a lasting solution for the consolidation of a Palestinian State and a durable peace.”