Lanka has steadfastly stood with Palestine - President

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people serves to remind the international community that the Palestinians are still denied their right to self-determination, independence and sovereignty and dispossessed of much of their land, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.

The people of Sri Lanka have steadfastly stood with the Palestinian people in their decades long struggle for justice and the fulfillment of their inalienable rights and will continue to do so, he said.

President Rajapaksa in a message to mark International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people which falls today said: "Every possibility for peace, with a view to ultimately establishing an independent State of Palestine, existing peacefully, side by side with Israel, must be actively pursued.

"Thus, the peace process needs to overcome its current impasse.

Resolving this issue will also bring about peace in the entire Middle East.

The political unity and economic advancement of the Palestinian people will contribute to the viability of the Two State solution, which Sri Lanka resolutely supports, in accordance with the UN resolution.

"We are pleased that the Palestinian Authority, despite severe political and economic constraints, has made progress in institution-building.

Sri Lanka supports Palestine's application for admission as a full member in the United Nations."