Forging global consensus to combat terrorism
The speech by Prime Minister Ratnasiri
Wickramanayaka at the 64th Session of UN General Assembly in New York on
Saturday
In May this year, Sri Lanka was successful in defeating the scourge
of brutal terrorism after almost three decades of conflict inflicted on
us by the LTTE, one of the most ruthless terrorist organizations known
to the international community. Our recent anti-terrorist operations
cost us only 2.8 billion dollars in all, compared with other
anti-terrorist operations elsewhere.
In an age when the international community has collectively
acknowledged that terrorism threatens the very foundations of global and
national security, our success in defeating terrorism will benefit not
only the people of Sri Lanka, but all our peace-loving partners in the
international community.
Unresolved challenges
Today, we have entered a forward-looking, post-conflict phase,
recognizing at the same time the urgent need to deal with the scars and
unresolved challenges of the past. In our unique victory in defeating
terrorism, we are grateful for the assistance, encouragement and
co-operation extended to us by friendly countries; and we seek similar
understanding in making a steady and stable transition from ending
conflict to ensuring lasting peace and security.
Prime Minister
Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka |
We have shared our hopes and concerns with the United Nations. At the
end of the conflict and at the invitation of my President - Mahinda
Rajapaksa, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was the first, high-level
dignitary to visit Sri Lanka.
With the defeat of the LTTE in May this year, around 290,000
civilians in the Vanni region were liberated from the decades - long
hold of the LTTE. One of our highest priorities thereafter has been to
meet the immediate humanitarian needs of these displaced civilians and
to ensure their long-term safe, voluntary and dignified return to their
homes.
The welfare of our people in temporary transit sites must keep up
with standards that meet our own high expectations as well as accepted
international norms.
This task has been facilitated by the assistance we receive from UN
agencies, international and local civil society partners and donors. A
total in excess of 54 agencies are actively engaged with us in these
welfare villages. In addition to providing food and transitional
shelter, these welfare villages are equipped with facilities such as
schools, banks, post offices and healthcare centres to meet the needs of
the displaced civilians. Children who had been denied their education by
the LTTE, are now for the first time learning to read and write in these
sites.
The Government reiterates its firm resolve to resettle the IDPs
expeditiously, in co-operation with our international partners. In this
regard, we have learnt valuable lessons from our own past experiences.
Both in the post-tsunami context and in the successful resettlement
programs in the East completed in the last two years, we realized that
the pace of resettlement must not be forced if it is to be truly safe
and sustainable in the long term.
For example, against all established humanitarian norms, the LTTE had
indiscriminately scattered landmines and other explosives in all areas
of civilian habitation in the North. The time-consuming and meticulous
process of demining is now under way.
From another perspective, the stability and security that we have
restored at great human cost cannot and must not be compromised,
particularly, when a large number of self-confessed ex-LTTE cadres
continue to mix with the IDPs.
In the aftermath of conflict, peace cannot last without
reconciliation. We have put in place a broad and comprehensive
foundation for long term peace and security encompassing reconstruction,
development, political empowerment and reconciliation.
Sri Lanka is committed to complying with its international
obligations in human rights and humanitarian standards. Sri Lanka will
undertake further domestic measures aimed at reconciliation and in the
light of lessons learnt. In less than three months after the conflict,
in August 2009, we have made significant progress.
New beginnings
For the first time in over a decade, Local Government elections were
held in the North completely free of any violence and intimidation. In
all areas where the LTTE had suppressed all dissent in the past,
democracy will be restored and electoral processes will be
re-established, encouraging a local leadership to emerge.
We must enable those scarred by the conflict to lead productive lives
and resume their roles as neighbours and productive citizens.
Children were forced into combat by the LTTE’s abhorrent practice of
using children as fighting cadres.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has launched a national campaign to
“Bring Back the Child” and an extensive rehabilitation program is under
way to provide new beginnings for former child combatants. In
co-operation with UN agencies and donors, we have put in place a
National Framework for the Reintegration of Ex-Combatants.
With the end of conflict and for the first time in many decades, Sri
Lanka is poised to harness the full human, political and economic
potential of the country for the betterment of our people.
Donors, international organizations and financial institutions are
expressing their confidence in our reconstruction and development plans
by making important contributions. After a lapse of many years, the
Eastern Province has begun to contribute to the national economy, under
the Eastern Re-awakening Program.
The Vaddakin Vasantham Program was initiated by President Rajapaksa
this year to establish a strong and modern economy in the Northern
Province. Civilian lives are being normalized with the restoration of
former livelihoods such as farming and fisheries. Already people and
produce from the North and the East are being transported along
previously inaccessible road and rail networks facilitating
people-to-people contacts and integrating the economy of the North with
the rest of the country.
Police stations, courts, schools and infrastructure are being
re-established.
Obtaining consensus
The end of conflict provides us with a historic opportunity to
address the grievances and aspirations of all communities, in expediting
a long-term political solution.
Under the All Party Representative Committee process, the Government
is looking forward with a great degree of confidence to obtaining
consensus among all sections of the political spectrum on the proposals
envisaged in this regard.
The solution that evolves through this process and which we will
offer to all communities must be a home-grown product.
Complimentary to the long-term political solution envisaged through
the APRC process, an All Party Committee of Development and
Reconciliation has been initiated by President Rajapaksa. The forum
reflects the Government’s commitment to a pluralistic and inclusive
approach in addressing post-conflict challenges.
The theme of this year’s debate is “effective responses to global
crises - strengthening multilateralism and dialogue among civilizations
for international peace, security and development”.
Collective response
The multilateral architecture of the United Nations was created 64
years ago to provide a collective response to global issues to achieve
the objective of peace, security and development. As a result of a
multitude of factors, including the accelerated globalization of recent
decades, the challenges we are confronted with today are complex and
inter-twined and require a holistic, concerted and collective approach.
An individual State alone cannot meet these challenges.
Thus, multilateralism must be strengthened to meet contemporary
global crises, such as terrorism, the global financial crisis, the
adverse consequences of climate change, food and energy security as well
as the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
We need to take measures to ensure that the impact of globalization
is fair, inclusive and sustainable.
Multilateralism is not about the UN agenda responding only to the
demands of a minority of powerful States, but also defending the
interest of the powerless majority. It is also imperative that the
prohibition reflected in the Article 2 (7) of the Charter that the UN
should not interfere in the internal affairs of States be respected.
The Charter must be our guiding norm since it is the Charter that
keeps us together. Non interference in the Internal affairs of states
must be respected at all times.
In our own region, the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation, SAARC, which Sri Lanka chairs at present, has lent its
voice to several issues of global importance affecting our region.
Among them, terrorism, the impact of the global economic crisis,
climate change as well as food security are of prime concern to the
one-fifth of humanity living in SAARC nations. We in the SAARC region
will continue to work in every international forum, including the UN, to
find regional as well as global solutions that can deal with these
issues in an equitable manner.
A global problem such as terrorism with its transnational linkages
requires an effective and compelling global response. As our own
experience in Sri Lanka has shown, the transnational character of
criminal activities of terrorist groups such as the LTTE, required that
counter-terrorism operations meticulously carried out in the battle
field, be supported by concerted and well-coordinated measures of
international cooperation directed against the multifaceted criminal
networks of the terrorist organizations.
We are aware that much of the financial sustenance for the
destruction caused in Sri Lanka by the LTTE came from sources overseas,
particularly deep rooted networks in developed countries.
The so-called overseas representatives of the LTTE and their front
organizations, procured funds and arms through a complex range of
criminal activities ranging from terrorist financing, money laundering,
arms procurement, illicit trade and other organized criminal activities
such as drug trafficking and human trafficking, all of which are
inter-related.
The remnants of the fast-diminishing LTTE networks overseas continue
these efforts to date. Although we have been successful in defeating
terrorism in Sri Lanka, we continue to urge the international community
to be vigilant and to continue to take action against the illegal acts
of the LTTE in their soil.
We are well aware that some of these front organizations exploit
noble humanitarian sentiments and masquerade in the guise of
humanitarian NGOs or even infiltrate them. We thank our partners in the
international community who have taken action to expose these.
Addressing safety
The threat posed to maritime security through the transportation of
large consignments of sophisticated equipment and lethal cargo to
provide logistical support to terrorist groups requires our urgent
attention. In recent years Sri Lanka has experienced the most
unprecedented and dangerous forms of maritime terrorism.
Our Navy has successfully confronted and interdicted the movement of
virtual floating warehouses of arms and ammunition, which posed a grave
threat to the security and stability of our nation and to our region.
At the global level, this phenomenon calls for a revision of existing
laws pertaining to boarding and search of vessels in the high seas.
We need a comprehensive legal framework to address all aspects of
safety and security of maritime navigation, going beyond the current
concerns on Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). This would make a
distinct contribution to securing global peace and security.
The comprehensive range of these terrorist activities and their
disastrous impact on the security and stability of States should awaken
all States to consider, very seriously and as a matter of urgency, the
importance of forging a global consensus on a comprehensive normative
framework for international cooperation and solidarity in combating
terrorism, within the parameters of international law.
It is in this context that I wish to emphasize the urgent need to
finalize the ongoing negotiations on the Draft Comprehensive Convention
on Terrorism.
The time has come to reach finality on the outstanding issues and
through the exertion of the political will, to adopt this Convention
without further delay. Sri Lanka as Chairman of the UN Ad-Hoc Committee
on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism remains committed to do
its utmost to reach consensus on the Draft Comprehensive Convention and
Sri Lanka looks forward to the fullest support of all Member States in
this important task.
Today, we face the greatest challenge to the world economy in modern
times.
The global financial and economic crisis, which had its roots in the
developed countries, will have a long-term impact on human lives in
developing countries. Through the pursuit of prudent policies, Sri Lanka
has been able to minimize the impact of the crisis on the domestic
financial system and maintain an overall positive rate of growth through
the midst of the crisis.
Recovery from the crisis should go well beyond restoring the
stability of the economies of the developed countries and must address
the deeper development crisis which ensued in developing countries.
The Plan of Action adopted at the UN Conference on the World
Financial and Economic Crisis urgently needs to be implemented with the
support of the International Financial Institutions and advanced
economies. The global financial and economic crisis also highlights the
need for transparent multilateral regulatory structures at the helm of
the world economy.
The Millennium Declaration set 2015 as the target date for achieving
the MDGs and we are nearing the target date.
Long before the MDGs were articulated globally, Sri Lanka was well on
track to reach the related targets in several areas.
Development as it is understood today and as embodied in the
Internationally Agreed Development Goals (IADGs) and MDGs encompass
objectives related to human well-being, including freedom, empowerment,
distribution patterns and environmental sustainability. This broad
dimension is aligned with Sri Lanka’s pluralistic democratic traditions
and Sri Lanka was early among developing countries to understand the
importance of investing in human resources, gender equality and social
development. We are determined to make further progress. We welcome the
High-Level Meeting to be convened by the Secretary General next year.
As a developing State, Sri Lanka is highly vulnerable to the adverse
impact of Climate Change caused by unsustainable production and
consumption patterns of industrialized countries. The “carbon debt” that
is owed to us by the developed countries must be used to finance the
financial and technological assistance that we need in order to adapt
our industries to a sustainable path. As a developing country, our
people naturally aspire to achieve progress and higher living standards.
We hope that we can reach an agreed outcome at the Copenhagen
Conference, in accordance with the principle of common, but
differentiated responsibilities.
The reform of the United Nations and the UN Security Council must be
a high priority. We believe that the objective of the reform process
should be to strengthen multilateralism and to promote greater
democracy, transparency, effectiveness and accountability within a more
democratic United Nations system. And in tandem we need to take measures
to pursue the four pillars that are fundamental to our future as
enunciated by President Obama.
We believes that the United Nations and particularly this Assembly
has the primary responsibility as set out in the Charter in the
maintenance of international peace and security.
In this context, the numerous unresolved conflicts around the world
continue to remain a matter of concern. We are disappointed that little
progress has been made in the implementation of Resolutions of this
Assembly regarding the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people to
Statehood and the realization of the two-State solution whereby Israel
and Palestine could live side by side in peace and harmony.
A just and lasting peace in the Middle East, including through
practical recognition of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian
people, has been a matter closely advocated by President Mahinda
Rajapaksa.
In this regard, we are encouraged by the words spoken by President
Obama in his address to this Forum.
You are presiding over this Assembly during a critical time. As
Member States, we must mobilize the political will to shed our
differences and work in a spirit of co-operation to respond effectively
and swiftly to the challenges that confront us.
I reiterate my delegations confidence in your leadership in this
endeavour. |