Darusman Report improper - Akashi
* Int’l community should not create various issues
* Any inquiry should be conducted locally
* LTTE ruthless terrorist organization
“The Darusman Report though intended only to be an advisory report to
the Secretary General of the UN, is improper,” said Senior Adviser on
Foreign Policy in Japan Yasushi Akashi when he addressed the 16th Joint
Committee of the Sri Lanka Business Co-operation Meeting held in Tokyo
last week.
Akashi was speaking on the subject of ‘Recent Political Developments
in Sri Lanka’, as the keynote speaker at this meeting.
Yasushi Akashi |
Akashi said that any inquiry into the last days of the war should be
conducted locally through recognized individuals of good judgement. “The
LLRC is such a body. Therefore we should ask anyone who has
representations to direct them to the LLRC.”
The global community should also await the findings of the local
committee and not try to jump the gun by creating various issues in
international fora, he said.
Akashi also said that the LTTE was a ruthless terrorist organization
and should not be equated in status to a sovereign state such as Sri
Lanka. Such an equation is not only unjustified but would pose a threat
to the global fight against terrorism.
He also said that the LTTE sabotaged the Tokyo meeting of which Japan
and the United States were to be co-chairs.
“They again sabotaged the Geneva meeting when the government of Sri
Lanka had already sent its delegates.”
He said that time and time again, the international community had
provided opportunities for the LTTE to enter the negotiation process.
“But every one of those opportunities were deliberately rejected by
the LTTE which took most unhelpful attitudes. All those countries that
took part in the process of assisting in bringing peace to Sri Lanka,
were confronted by the policy of non co-operation and sabotage by the
LTTE which ensured the failure of all such attempts,” Akashi said.
Therefore, he said no tears should be shed for the LTTE.
Referring to the advisory report of Darusman and others to the
Secretary General, he said that having painstakingly read this report
together with the report of the International Crisis Group, it became
clear that pages of the NGO report have been reproduced as original
writings of the Commissioners.
Therefore professional study of the report submitted to the Secretary
General when compared with the documents of relevant INGOs would show
that there was much copying and passing off of other peoples writings as
the views of the Commissioners.
Finally, Akashi said that the global community should help Sri Lanka
to look to the future. There was much reconstruction work to be done,
particularly in the North and East. Japan should contribute to this
process in spite of the difficulty that she herself is undergoing as a
result of the recent earthquake and tsunami. He also commended the Sri
Lanka Ambassador in Japan for boldly visiting the affected areas and
providing food and drink to the victims. The Ambassador had fed them
with rice and curry and given them tea. This gesture was greatly
appreciated. He also said that the work of the rescue team sent by Sri
Lanka was outstanding and was the best of rescue organisations that went
into the devastated areas. Due to mass media publicity, the Sri Lanka
Ambassador Wasantha Karannagoda is now a national hero in Japan, Akashi
said.
These meetings were attended also by Yasao Fukuda former Prime
Minister of Japan, Fugita Chairman of the Sri Lanka-Japan and Japan-Sri
Lanka Committee, Senior Minister of International Monetary Co-operation
Dr. Sarath Amunugama and Sri Lanka Ambassador Wasantha Karannagoda. This
meeting was adjudged a great success. At last year’s meeting 30 Japanese
entrepreneurs participated. This year however, the number of businessmen
from Japan rose to 132, showing their interest in investing in Sri
Lanka. |