All parties in UK ready to help Sri Lanka today - CPA UK
All parties in the United Kingdom stand by you and are ready to help
Sri Lanka today. We are happy that terrorism has gone away from this
island; that reconstruction, rejuvenation and reconciliation is the
order of the day, said Paul Murphy MP (Labour), leader of the visiting
Parliamentary delegation from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
(CPA) UK, when they met President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees last
evening (18).
Recalling his earlier visit to Sri Lanka, when he went to Kilinochchi
then under LTTE control, Murphy said the situation here was similar to
that in the UK which had won the war in Northern Ireland and had to win
the peace.
In a discussion that lasted more than 45 minutes, the delegation
covered a wide range of issues, which were discussed with great candour
and cordiality.
President Rajapaksa explained to the delegation that what the people
of the North of Sri Lanka wanted most today were the essentials of
water, electricity, schools, health services and education. There was a
yearning for development among the Tamil people, asserting that there
could be no development without peace and vice versa.
Speaking on the efforts at reconciliation, he told the delegates of
the work being done by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission,
and regretted that organizations such as Amnesty International, Human
Rights Watch and the International Crisis Group that had been invited to
give evidence before it had refused to do so.
The Commission was open to all including the United Nations, he said,
emphasizing that reconciliation in Sri Lanka needed a home grown
solution, and not one that is transported from elsewhere, even from
Northern Ireland. It must be based on our own experience, while we are
ready to learn from the experience of others, he said.
Responding to questions about a political solution to the ethnic
issue, President Rajapaksa said he looked forward to a dialogue with all
Tamil political parties. Some had already responded positively. There
are more parties than one representing Tamils and we look forward to
consensus among all, especially on aspects of development, he said.
On the question of the provincial administration in the North, the
CPA-UK delegates were told that the first priority will be Local
Government Elections, after which there would be elections to the
Northern Provincial Council, similar to the political progress that had
taken place in the East, after the defeat of terrorism.
Clarifying the size and areas of investment from the UK, in response
to a question by the Hon. Stephen Hammond MP (Conservative), Minister
Basil Rajapaksa said the key area of investment in the North and East
was Tourism. There were also much investment opportunities in
agriculture, manufacturing industries and fisheries, especially in the
North. An industrial zone had already been established in the North, and
investors had already come in. There were also many opportunities for
investment in education in the North, and many students from the North
were keen to enroll in UK universities, following a road show that some
universities had held in the North, the Minister said.
Asked by Hon, (Mrs.) Helen Grant (Conservative) and the Hon. (Ms.)
Fiona Donnor (Labour) about the situation of children who had suffered
injury due to landmines and the rehabilitation of child soldiers and
other child victims of terrorism, Minister Basil Rajapaksa explained
that the Jaipur Foot Organization of India was doing considerable work
in assisting those who has lost their legs due to landmines. With regard
to child soldiers it was explained that all of them had been released to
their parents. Most were attending schools, even in Colombo.
Youth whose university education had been interrupted due carrying
arms for the LTTE, had been given special opportunities to continue
their higher education. The rehabilitation work for children and youth
was receiving assistance from UNICEF, IOM and the US Government, he
said.
President Rajapaksa explained that Sri Lanka had clearly made the
fastest progress in the rehabilitation of child soldiers and youth, who
had been made the victims of armed conflict.
Responding to a question by Lord Sheik (Conservative) about the
progress of moves for devolution of power, President Rajapaksa said that
whatever solution arrived at must be one that is acceptable to the
people. He was emphatic is stating that what the LTTE wanted could not
be given. But any reasonable aspects of devolution, for which all
parties have consensual agreement, can be granted by Parliament, he
said. The President said he will encourage all parties to come to a
settlement, and that Parliament must finally decide, as there was the
need for a two-third majority for any Constitutional change.
President Rajapaksa also assured that there were no obstacles to
Tamil expatriates abroad coming to Sri Lanka and also investing here. In
fact that was being encouraged. However, he said that was a section of
the expatriates, or the Diaspora, who would not change their attitudes,
and were continuing even now raise funds for pro-LTTE activities. The
countries in which they had obtained refugee and other status must look
into this aspect, he said.
He added that it was high time such Tamil expatriates changed their
view of the situation in Sri Lanka, come back and work with the Tamil
people, invest in the country and make a genuine difference to the live
of the Tamil people.
Responding to a question on the readiness of the Government to work
with NGOs, INGOs and such organizations, President Rajapaksa said There
are NGOs and NGO. Sri Lanka had the example of NGOs that had obtained
large sums of money from abroad, from people and governments abroad,
during the Tsunami, but had done no relief work here. We have to be wary
of such organizations, however, we are ready to work and in fact work
with a large number genuine NGO? he said. The CPA - UK delegates were
told that some NGOs had their own political agenda which were not in the
wider interests of the country.
The CPA-UK delegation comprised Paul Murphy MP (Labour), (Leader),
Stephen Hammond (Cons), David Amess (Cons), Lord Dholakia (Lib-Dem),
Helen Grant (Cons), Lord Grocott (Lab), Fiona Connor (Lab), Emma
Reynolds (Lab), Lord Sheik (Cons), Andrew Tuggey, Secretary, CPA- UK
Branch, and Hatty Cooper, Secretary to the Delegation. The UK High
Commissioner in Colombo Dr. Peter Hayes was also present.
Associated with President Mahinda Rajapaksa were the Deputy Speaker
Priyankara Jayaratne, Ministers Basil Rajapaksa, Nimal Siripala de
Silva, DEW Gunasekera and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Secretary to the
President Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary, External Affairs Romesh
Jayasinghe and Secretary General of Parliament Dhammmika Kithulgoda. |