Politicians, professionals hail President’s UN speech
Rasika SOMARATHNA
President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s stirring speech to the UN General
Assembly, in which (among other matters), he called on the international
community to drop pre-conceived notions and help the country achieve
sustained development and peace, is being hailed by both politicians and
professionals alike as a resounding success and a speech in which the
President had put the record straight fearlessly.
Senior government member and Minister of Irrigation and Water
Management Nimal Siripala de Silva yesterday described the speech as an
eye-opener for powerful nations to rethink their approach towards issues
in smaller countries.
”The President has put the record straight by emphasizing that it is
clearly impractical to conceive of universal remedies for problems which
afflicts our societies and that we strongly believe in home-grown
solutions for them to be sustainable,” he added.
“The President’s comments on terrorism and his calling for a cohesive
and sustained approach globally to counter it, is both timely and is of
paramount importance for all nations to give due consideration on an
urgent basis,” he added.
The minister also praised the President for bringing up the Palestine
matter within the forum fearlessly where the President reiterated that
the right of the Palestinian people to a State of their own within
secure borders should be recognized. The minister said that the
President in his speech also clearly outlined before the international
community Sri Lanka’s achievements during the brief span of 30 months
since the Lankan conflict ended.
Senior Lawyer Dr. Jayatissa de Costa PC said that the President in
his speech had given voice to various concerns harboured by smaller
countries and developing nations.
Dr. Costa said that most importantly the President in his speech had
called for international friendship in not only to help relevant nations
in their hour of need but also to combat the scourge of terrorism
collectively.
The President by saying ‘I am deeply mindful that the battle for
peace is every bit as important and difficult as the struggle against
terror’ has emphatically relayed the message that the government fully
understands the magnitude of the task at hand and is committed and
prepared to face it.
National Language and Social Integration Minister Vasudeva
Nanayakkara said that unlike some other speeches at the UN President
Rajapaksa’s one had garnered wide interest all round the globe.
The President had given a clear message that nations should do away
with inconsistent standards and discriminating approaches when it came
to dealing with terrorism, he added.
The minister also praised the President for bringing the attention of
the world body to the importance of safeguarding the interests of
developing countries. |