Fighting terrorism:

President renews call for global action

rome: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa says the Mumbai terrorist attacks should remind everyone about the risk of terrorism and the need for international cooperation to stop it.

President Rajapaksa spoke to Adnkronos International (AKI) during a visit to the Italian capital Rome where he met Pope Benedict XVI yesterday. “It is an eye opener to everybody in the international community because it targeted foreigners especially Americans, British and Israelis,” the President said.

“It is like 9/11 (attacks) in India - an experience that everyone must take seriously.”

Sri Lanka has experienced its own terrorism from Tigers for more than 25 years. AKI said President Rajapaksa is leading an aggressive campaign to defeat them.

President Rajapaksa said the Italian government had helped Sri Lanka by arresting Tamil sympathisers this year but he warned they were still getting financial aid from Sri Lankans abroad.

“They have come to the West. There are refugees here. They collect money,” he said. “There are front organisations, they are taking advantage of it, they are collecting money and sending it there.

Sri Lanka was close to defeating the Tigers, President Rajapaksa said. Speaking to the media in Rome, he said government Forces had “cleared” the Eastern province and was now focused on the North.

“I am confident,” he said of the Armed Forces’ prospects. “We have cleared the Eastern province, we have had elections.”

Now the President said the Forces had made key gains in fighting members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the country’s North.