GL sets record straight on US visit

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris said yesterday he did not visit US in March before the resolution was taken up for consideration in Geneva to prevent possible misunderstandings.

“If I visited US before it brought in the resolution, the impression would have been created that it was a collaborative and consensual resolution between Sri Lanka and the US. ‘There could have been a huge misunderstanding unfavourable for Sri Lanka, if I visited US and met US officials at the wrong time. We corrected that misunderstanding which existed among some countries by not visiting the US in March,” Prof Peiris said at a special press briefing at the External Affairs Ministry auditorium yesterday.

Prof Peiris said that the invitation extended by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has now been accepted and the meeting will take place as scheduled.

“The dates for the meeting have been fixed for May. She will be briefed on the progress made by Sri Lanka. Technical assistance can only be given to a country with the consent of that specific country,” the minister said.

According to Prof Peiris, there are over 5,000 Sri Lankan students in US universities and there are several trade, bilateral etc links between Sri Lanka and US.

“The relationship with Sri Lanka and US is strong. US is a major market for Sri Lankan commodities, particularly apparel products. We have extensive programmes on defence cooperation,” he said. The minister said from the beginning, Sri Lanka did not agree with the US resolution being brought against Sri Lanka and thought it a mistake.

“This single event does not ruin everything. There is no need to drag on things which occurred in the past. The Sri Lankan government has one standpoint on the issue and it will be expressed to all countries.

The Sri Lankan government will not state one standpoint to India and another to US,” Prof Peiris said.

The minister said that the Indian stand fundamentally transformed the situation in Geneva and drastically affected the arithmetic. “Many countries planning to vote with us were compelled to abstain and some countries planning to abstain were compelled to vote. The problem for us was not the Indian vote but the statement made in the Indian Parliament two and a half days before the crucial vote,” he said.

“The text of the statement of the Indian Prime Minister was immediately distributed among all in Geneva. The friendship and relationship between India and Sri Lanka is historical. The relationship between the two countries is not one dimensional.

It is far from being one dimensional. It is a rich and radiant relationship. It stood in the middle of stronger and greater shocks in the past than this. We need to move on. We are planning to nurture and strengthen the relationship,” the minister said.