Winning world support - a vital need

The initiative taken by Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry under Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris to win international support for this country, in the wake of the report drafted by the panel of personnel authorized by the UN Secretary General to probe accountability issues supposedly raised by Sri Lanka, is, no doubt, a step in the right direction. It is vital at this juncture that Sri Lanka has as many friends as possible in the world community in view of the seriousness of the issues raised by the panel report and a robust campaign by Sri Lanka to win the hearts and minds of the world community is what is most needed in this context.

There is no denying that one of the most effective ways of securing international support for Sri Lanka is through a diplomatic effort which would convince the states and publics of the world of the correctness of Sri Lanka's position on the panel report. There is no other way to effect the desired attitudinal changes in the world than by through a consistent campaign to clarify the issues which are of relevance and by convincing the world of the rightness of our position. We believe that we are obliged to point out that a highly emotional approach to winning the hearts and minds of the world could prove very counter productive and wasteful. We need to bear in mind that the pertinent issues should not be clouded in emotion but, on the contrary, be discussed and debated very rationally and objectively.

There is every need for the state and the people to come together to defend Sri Lanka's legitimate interests in a peaceful fashion, but reacting emotionally and even violently could have the effect of alienating Sri Lanka from those sections of the international community which are likely to support it. It needs to be realized that the report is not an indictment by the UN as such, on Sri Lanka, and the state and the public of this country need to get this right. Accordingly, any rabble- rousing against the UN system or its specialized bodies could prove a fatal mistake which could cost this country very dearly. It is, therefore, the duty of the state to ensure that the current widespread local critical stance on the panel report does not degenerate into a bout of bellicosity and anger against the UN.

We believe that the Foreign Minister is adopting the correct style and approach to winning the world on to the side of Sri Lanka - that is, a highly rational and unemotional reasoning of the Sri Lankan position. It is our conviction that the Foreign Minister's general approach should be replicated by all those sections which believe that Sri Lanka's position on the issues raised is correct. In short, our aim should be to enlighten the publics of the world of the correctness of our position by appealing to their intellects and reasoning capability.

Generally speaking, Sri Lanka needs to adopt the course of engaging the world community consistently and cleverly. Reacting emotionally to criticisms would indicate a highly defensive attitude on the part of Sri Lanka and this is not going to do this country's cause any good. The report has numerous flaws and objectionable parts in it and it should be our endeavour to discuss these limitations rationally and objectively rather than to be swept away in a tide of emotion and unwholesome sentimentality. It is encouraging to note that Foreign Minister Peiris is clarifying the country's position in a spirit of rationality and it goes without saying that this is the ideal approach to handling this situation.

We cannot help but feel, however, that more must be done to garner for ourselves international support from among the Developing or Third World countries. In fact, Sri Lanka ought to work vibrantly among the Non - Aligned countries with a view to winning their support at this crucial juncture. For far too long the Non- Aligned Movement (NAM) has been lying dormant in the face of challenges faced by the less powerful countries of the world and this would not do the cause of the poor countries any good. Sri Lanka needs to canvass the support of the Third World in the current situation and it needs to go boldly into this endeavour.

On the other hand, the numerous challenges currently posed to the less powerful countries of the world by the big powers, in terms of threats posed to the sovereignty of the powerless, should jerk NAM out of its virtual state of slumber and impress on it the need to be a vibrant force in international politics once again.

It could be seen that the Third World or the Developing Countries have hardly won for themselves any economic, political and military clout as a result of their deciding to be part of global capitalism and its world wide web of influence and power. A dispassionate study of this issue would reveal that the poorer countries have hardly managed to tilt the global power balance in their favour, despite immersing themselves fully in the market economy.

So, it is really a time for the NAM countries to come together once again to assert their collective clout and it is hoped that the current issues facing Sri Lanka would be a strong catalyst in this process.