- President and G.L. seek to cement bonds with EU, OIC, UN, and Commonwealth
- Governing coalition partners livid over midnight LNG deal with US company
- PM and Basil scramble to win over SLFP, NFF, and other coalition partners
- Govt. turns to UAE and India to raise $ 2.5 b long-term credit line for oil
- Prez extends olive branch to Diaspora from floor of UN General Assembly
The growing dissension within the Government over its decision-making process and the monitoring mission from the European Union (EU) scheduled to arrive in the country tomorrow (27) indicate that the headaches of the Government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will not abate anytime soon.
The governing Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) was once again facing an internal conflict following the sudden announcement of the divestiture of a 40% stake of the Yugadanavi Power Station in Kerawalapitiya to New Fortress Inc. of the US.
The cabinet paper on the deal was surreptitiously moved to the cabinet meeting on 6 September by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, and as soon as the minutes of the meeting were confirmed by the Cabinet that met on 13 September, the Finance Ministry moved forward to sign a definitive agreement with New Fortress Energy.
Apart from the manner in which cabinet approval was secured for the cabinet paper, the hurriedly signed agreement raised suspicion among several key coalition partners of the Government.
Closer perusal of the cabinet paper revealed that the Government had permitted New Fortress Energy to establish a monopoly in the country over the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
New Fortress Energy Inc. and the Government announced last Tuesday (21) that they had executed “a definitive agreement” for New Fortress’ investment in West Coast Power Ltd. (WCP), the owner of the 310 MW Yugadanavi Power Station based in Colombo, along with the rights to develop a new LNG terminal off the coast of Colombo.
As part of the transaction, New Fortress will have gas supply rights to the Kerawalapitiya Power Complex, where 310 MW of power is operational today and an additional 700 MW is scheduled to be built, of which 350 MW is scheduled to be operational by 2023, the company said in a press release.
New Fortress will acquire a 40% stake in WCP and plans to build an offshore LNG receiving, storage, and regasification terminal located off the coast of Colombo. New Fortress will initially provide the equivalent of an estimated 1.2 million gallons of LNG (~35,000 MMBtu [metric million British thermal unit]) per day to the Government, with the expectation of significant growth as new power plants become operational.
The 310 MW Yugadanavi Power Station currently has a long-term power purchase agreement to provide electricity to the national grid that extends through 2035. This power plant consists of general electric turbines and is configured to run on natural gas in a combined cycle.
It is learnt that the US’ move to invest in the Kerawalapitiya Power Complex was, in fact, mooted during the visit of former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Sri Lanka in October 2020.
The Government is also to provide New Fortress Energy with the rights to supply LNG to the proposed Sobadhanavi Power Plant, along with a five-year monopoly in LNG supply to meet the country’s requirements.
The cabinet paper on the deal also noted: “5.1: However, as per the Cabinet-approved Implementation Agreement (IA) signed on 19 July 2021 between the ST (Secretary to the Treasury) and Sobadhanavi Ltd., which is due to build and operate another 350 MW LNG plant in close proximity to the WCPL (West Coast Plant Ltd.) plant at Kerawalapitiya, the said IA has cast a responsibility upon the Government to ensure the supply of LNG. 5.2. As such, it is beneficial to also allow the NFE (New Fortress Energy) to supply LNG to the Sobadhanavi plant as well. (This will be an amendment to ‘the proposal’).”
Objections from allies
The Group of 10 political parties (G-10) affiliated to the governing alliance raised objections to the Government’s deal with New Fortress and claimed that the Kerawalapitiya thermal power plant will be protected in a manner similar to the pressure exerted on the Government over the East Container Terminal (ECT) of the Colombo Port, which ultimately resulted in the Government reneging on its tripartite agreement with India and Japan.
The G-10 leaders issued this threat after a special discussion held at the Communist Party headquarters in Borella last Monday (20).
National Freedom Front (NFF) Leader Minister Wimal Weerawansa said that the leaders and representatives of political parties supporting the Government, including the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the NFF, met at the Communist Party headquarters in Borella last Monday afternoon to discuss the selling of 40% of the shares of the Kerawalapitiya plant to New Fortress Energy, as well as the threat of forming an LNG monopoly in the country.
“We will meet the President soon after he arrives,” Weerawansa had said.
Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) Leader Minister Udaya Gammanpila was not present at the meeting, since he was on an official visit to the UAE.
Following last Monday’s meeting at the Community Party headquarters, the SLFP seniors also decided to discuss the implications of the Yugadanavi deal with New Fortress Energy.
The SLFP leadership decided to discuss the issue with the G-10 representatives.
A meeting was held last Tuesday at SLFP Leader Maithripala Sirisena’s residence on Paget Road in Colombo. Several senior SLFP members, including State Ministers Dayasiri Jayasekera, Duminda Dissanayake, and Lasantha Alagiyawanna, had also attended the meeting.
The G-10 was represented by Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Prof. Tissa Vitharana, Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera, Jayantha Samaraweera, Gevindu Kumaratunga, Weerasuma Weerasinghe, and Dr. G. Weerasinghe.
The G-10 representatives had outlined the issues related to the proposed deal, ranging from the manner in which the Government secured cabinet approval for the deal in a surreptitious manner in violation of all good governance principles, as well as the danger of creating a monopoly in the country’s LNG supply.
Ven. Rathana Thera had noted that the agreement should not be allowed to be implemented and had questioned the need to push through with the deal in such a secretive manner.
The SLFP seniors had also agreed that the deal was cause for concern and agreed to engage in a joint action with the G-10.
It was discussed that a meeting should be sought with the President and Prime Minister after the former returned from the US.
Meanwhile, the SLFP had also agreed to sign a letter with the G-10 leaders, expressing concerns over the deal and raising the issues that had arisen as a result, that was to be handed over to the President and Prime Minister.
Minister Nanayakkara had shown a draft of a letter prepared by the G-10 leaders to be handed over to the President. The SLFP leadership had read the letter and said they had no objections.
PM intervenes
Finance Minister Rajapaksa, meanwhile, had explained to the governing party parliamentary group last week that the Government’s deal with New Fortress was beneficial to the country.
He had noted that the deal would enable the Government to supply electricity to consumers at lower rates.
Referring to the allegation that the agreement was signed at night and in a hurried manner, the Finance Minister had noted that time was not an impediment when working for the betterment of the country.
He had further noted that when the previous Government had worked towards arresting him, the authorities had kept the courts open and ready to hear his case and remand him even at night.
Amidst the growing dissension, Prime Minister Rajapaksa last Thursday (23) met with the representatives of the governing party allies who had raised objections over the Government’s decision to enter into an agreement with New Fortress Energy Inc. of the US. The meeting took place at Temple Trees.
The Premier first set the meeting for last Wednesday (22) at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Parliamentary Complex at noon. However, the meeting was postponed to the following day.
The Premier, Finance Minister Rajapaksa, SLFP Leader and former President Maithripala Sirisena, Chief Government Whip Minister Johnston Fernando, SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) Leader and Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Democratic Left Front (DLF) Secretary Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara, NFF Leader Minister Weerawansa, Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) Leader Prof. Vitharana, Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) Leader Minister Douglas Devananda, Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) Vice President M. Rameshwaran, United People’s Party (UPP) Secretary Tiran Alles, and Communist Party (CP) Deputy Chairman Weerasumana Weerasinghe attended the meeting.
The meeting had lasted nearly two hours and Finance Minister Rajapaksa had explained the reasons behind the Government’s decision to proceed with the New Fortress deal.
“Nobody raised any objections to it. Everyone understood that this would be beneficial for the country and to the people who cannot afford to pay their electricity bills,” Kariyawasam told journalists after the conclusion of the meeting.
He also clarified that a sale was not taking place through this deal.
“A sale is not taking place through this. It has been proposed to give away 40% – that too only for 15 years. This is not how the previous Government gave away the Hambantota Port for 99 years,” he said.
Weerawansa, however, indicated that the discussion with the Prime Minister had not been fruitful, by saying that the governing party leaders would seek a meeting with the President upon his return to the country.
The Minister revealed that a letter was to be handed over to the President with 10 or 11 signatures.
“We will request a meeting to express our views upon his return. We will convey our stance in that discussion,” he said.
Meanwhile, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Leader and National People’s Power (NPP) parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake earlier this week claimed that the Government and New Fortress signed the agreement past midnight on the 17th and demanded that the Government explain why New Fortress was selected outside of the open tender process which was called by the Government in February this year.
“A tender process is opened to promote transparency and to ensure, through a competitive process, that the most suitable bidder is awarded the development project. New Fortress Energy did not submit a tender. Is that a transparent process, then?” questioned Dissanayake.
Dissanayake also claimed that Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa had provided the Cabinet Ministers with the cabinet paper only at the moment of approval.
Increasing cost of living
Prices of several commodities, namely milk powder, flour, gas, and cement, are to be increased to reflect global price changes, State Minister of Co-operative Services, Marketing Development, and Consumer Protection Lasantha Alagiyawanna had said. “Definitely, in practical terms, we will have to resort to some kind of price hike, considering the increasing prices in the world market, especially for rice, flour, milk powder, cement, and gas. A decision in this regard will finally be taken this week.”
The issue of increasing commodity prices and the rising cost of living was also discussed at last week’s cabinet meeting.
Last week’s cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Rajapaksa since President Rajapaksa was engaged in an official visit to the US.
Several ministers had noted that certain essential commodities were being sold at high prices despite price controls introduced by the Government.
Ministers Bandula Gunawardana, Nanayakkara, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, and Weerawansa had expressed opinions on the rising cost of living at the meeting.
Gunawardana had noted that there had been many requests from milk powder, LP gas, and cement suppliers for price increases.
However, the Cabinet of Ministers had decided that the Cabinet Subcommittee on Cost of Living should meet soon to discuss the issue of rising prices to address the issue.
The Cabinet had approved the Finance Ministry’s proposal to increase the Government’s credit limit of Rs. 2,997 billion by another Rs. 400 billion, thus increasing it to Rs. 3,397 billion.
Such a move comes in the face of declining government revenue under the situation that has arisen due to the Covid-19 pandemic and increased expenditure in several sectors including healthcare as well as social security protection for those who have lost income, and having to make additional provisions for salaries and other expenses due to the loss of income of institutions which are paid salaries from that income.
In order to address the country’s growing foreign reserves crisis, the Government accelerated its discussions to secure a long-term credit line for oil.
The Government is currently engaged in discussions with the UAE and India to finalise two separate credit lines. Accordingly, a $ 2 billion credit line is being discussed with the UAE while a $ 500 million credit line is being negotiated with India.
Energy Minister Gammanpila was leading the discussion with the UAE while the Finance Ministry together with the CPC were negotiating with India.
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris met UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Dr. Sultan Al Jaber on the sidelines of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly.
The Foreign Minister had also requested for favourable consideration of Sri Lanka’s need for oil at concessionary rates.
EU monitoring
Amidst the internal conflict, the Government, come tomorrow, will have to face the EU monitoring mission to ensure the extension of the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences-Plus (GSP+) trade concessions.
When securing the trade concession, the Government of Sri Lanka agreed to ratify and comply with 27 international conventions, which include conventions on the safeguarding of human rights.
Apart from the conventions on labour rights and fair trade, the EU had placed much attention on human rights, including the effective use of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
The EU Parliament, a few months back, called for a review on the EU GSP+ facility extended to Sri Lanka, as there were growing concerns over the country’s compliance with conventions on human rights. Key among the concerns raised were the manner in which the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Privisons) Act (PTA) was being applied by local authorities.
Issues related to the PTA were also raised at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
It is in this backdrop that the Government had pledged to revisit certain provisions of the PTA. The Government had vowed reforms to the piece of legislation and appointed a cabinet subcommittee to study the PTA and make recommendations on the provisions that require amendment or repealing, while also appointing an advisory board to study the cases of long-term PTA detainees.
It is learnt that the Government is preparing a report on the proposed reforms to the PTA to be submitted to the EU monitoring mission.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) had, in writing, called on the European Commission to publicly set out a clear framework with short timelines for Sri Lanka to comply with its human rights commitments and retain GSP+.
HRW had noted that the EU pressure over a sharply deteriorating human rights situation had led the Sri Lankan Government in recent weeks to promise reforms, but these gestures had been superficial and unreliable.
The EU had been urged to be clear during the forthcoming GSP+ assessment that concrete improvements, not mere pledges, were urgently needed for Sri Lanka to maintain its trading privileges.
“Under President Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan Government had suppressed civil society, silenced protesters, targeted vulnerable minorities, further misused the abusive Prevention of Terrorism Act, and reversed any progress on accountability for war crimes,” HRW EU Director Lotte Leicht had stated.
“The EU should call out these blatant violations of Sri Lanka’s obligations under the GSP+ rules and be clear about the consequences if human rights violations and impunity for war crimes persist.”
Sri Lanka lost the EU’s trade concessions in 2010 for failing to address alleged human rights violations and regained it in 2017 under the previous Yahapalana administration.
According to HRW, at the time of the EU’s previous assessment two years ago, Sri Lanka was already violating those obligations. The Government’s rights record under President Rajapaksa only worsened since then, leading the European Parliament to adopt a resolution in June calling for the GSP+ to be withdrawn unless there was sufficient improvement.
A key commitment Sri Lanka made to the EU was to repeal the PTA, which enabled torture and lengthy periods of arbitrary detention since it was introduced as a “temporary” measure in 1979.
In June, following the adoption of the European Parliament resolution, the Government of Sri Lanka pardoned 16 PTA prisoners who were nearing or had passed the end of their sentences.
Homegrown solution
Meanwhile, addressing the 76th UN General Assembly last Wednesday (22), President Rajapaksa said the Sri Lankan Government was committed to fostering greater accountability, restorative justice, and meaningful reconciliation through domestic institutions.
“Fostering greater accountability, restorative justice, and meaningful reconciliation through domestic institutions is essential to achieve lasting peace. So too is ensuring more equitable participation in the fruits of economic development. It is my Government’s firm intention to build a prosperous, stable, and secure future for all Sri Lankans, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or gender,” the President observed.
He noted that to ensure Sri Lanka does not experience again the violence that occurred during the 30-year war, it would need to address these core issues, towards which end the Government was ready to engage all domestic stakeholders and international partners, including the UN.
The President added that lasting results could only be achieved through homegrown institutions, and stressed that Sri Lanka’s Parliament, Judiciary, and independent statutory bodies must be given “unrestricted scope to exercise their functions and responsibilities”.
The President welcomed international co-operation on the intelligence-sharing front, noting that this would be vital to overcoming the threat of terrorism.
He also encouraged international support in economic activities, stating: “Sri Lanka welcomes the support of the international community as it engages in the task of reviving its economy and carrying out its national development programme. We intend to make full use of our geostrategic location and our robust institutions, strong social infrastructure, and skilled workforce to attract investment and broaden trade relationships. My Government is focusing on extensive legal, regulatory, administrative, and educational reforms to facilitate this.”
Support from Muslim countries
The Government was last week seen engaging with Muslim nations on many fronts. While Energy Minister Gammanpila was on an official tour in the UAE, Foreign Minister Prof. Peiris met with the Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) and President Rajapaksa met with the Kuwaiti Prime Minister.
Gammanpila, who met with officials to negotiate a long-term oil credit line last week, announced that negotiations between Sri Lanka and Emirate National Oil Company (ENOC) Group CEO Saif Al Falasi concluded on a positive note.
The Minister noted that negotiations were held on the possibility of purchasing crude oil on a credit facility.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Prof. Peiris held a discussion with OIC Secretary General Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen on the importance of integration among communities while preserving their identity as well as on ways to further enhance bilateral ties.
During the discussion, Prof. Peiris had recalled the telephone conversation between President Rajapaksa and the OIC Secretary General earlier this year (prior to the vote on the UNHRC Resolution on Sri Lanka) and noted the long-standing association and close ties between Sri Lanka and the Muslim world.
Prof. Peiris had gone down memory lane, reminding the OIC Secretary General that Sri Lanka was among the first to recognise the State of Palestine and former President and current Prime Minister Rajapaksa had founded the Sri Lanka-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship Association as a young MP and had served as its Chairman for the past 25 years.
The Minister had also stated that Sri Lanka had continuously supported the Palestinian cause and in recognition, a road had been named after former President Rajapaksa in Ramallah.
The support the OIC had extended to Sri Lanka in the multilateral arena, including at the UNHRC, was appreciated by Minister Prof. Peiris. The OIC had opposed countries being singled out for political purposes and urged that countries be allowed to solve their national issues at the UNHRC.
Meanwhile, Secretary General Al-Othaimeen appreciated the close and long-standing relations between Sri Lanka and the OIC and its member countries.
He had stated that the OIC was concerned about the welfare of Muslims globally and had always urged members of the Muslim community to respect local cultures and the law of the land.
He had added that the dangers of communities living in isolation amongst themselves and not interacting with other communities was a recipe for division and disaster, thus paving the way for extremism.
Al-Othaimeen had appreciated the dialogue with the Sri Lankan Government and the measures put in place to allow members of the Muslim community who had passed away from Covid-19 to be buried in accordance with Muslim traditions.
He underscored that the OIC stood against extremism, violence, and hatred, and noted the rise in misinformation with social media and other tools, where false information around the world was causing friction among communities.
Minister Prof. Peiris had also extended an invitation to the OIC Secretary General to lead a delegation to Sri Lanka to see developments on the ground, first-hand. A previously scheduled visit had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sri Lanka also held bilateral discussions with Kuwait on investments in the Colombo Port City as well as solar energy and oil-refining sectors.
The meeting between President Rajapaksa and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Hamad Al-Sabah in Manhattan, New York took place last Sunday (19), on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
During the discussion, the President had pointed out that many Sri Lankans were employed in Kuwait and made a request for more employment opportunities for skilled workers.
The President had explained the Covid-19 pandemic control measures and the vaccination programme being carried out in Sri Lanka, and pointed out the possibility of strengthening bilateral relations at the end of the pandemic and the opening up of the world.
The two Heads of State also discussed the areas of food security, education, information technology, and cybersecurity.
Turning to Diaspora
UN Secretary General António Guterres, during his meeting with President Rajapaksa, had emphasised the need to protect minority rights in Sri Lanka.
The Secretary General had expressed solidarity with Sri Lanka for ongoing challenges related to Covid-19 and offered the UN’s support in this regard.
Guterres had also reiterated the UN’s view on the importance of ensuring protection of minority rights and civic engagement.
President Rajapaksa, meanwhile, had informed the UN that the Tamil Diaspora would be invited for discussions to resolve issues in Sri Lanka through an internal mechanism, and that he would not hesitate to grant a presidential pardon to Tamil youths in prolonged detention upon the conclusion of the legal proceedings concerning them.
“The President said that the internal issues of Sri Lanka should be resolved through an internal mechanism of the country and said the Tamil Diaspora would be invited for discussions in this regard,” the President’s Media Division (PMD) announced in a press release last Monday (20).
“The President informed the UN Secretary General that the Government would take immediate action with regard to missing persons and expedite efforts such as the issuance of death certificates. The President pointed out that many youths who were arrested as suspects over terrorist activities were released after he came to power. The President also informed that legal action would be expedited with regard to the rest of the persons who could not be released, and that he would not hesitate to grant a presidential pardon to the Tamil youths who have been in custody for a long time, taking into account their long-term detention and after the legal process was completed,” the PMD noted.
The PMD statement added that the President had explained the compensation paid to the victims, the transfer of lands back to the owners, the massive development carried out in the Northern and Eastern Provinces since 2009 under the guidance of then President and incumbent Prime Minister Rajapaksa, and the opportunity given to democratically elect representatives to the Northern Provincial Council.
The President had also told Guterres that there were no attacks on protesters under his Government and that a separate area had been set aside for protesters near his office.
“The President stated that his objective was to strengthen democracy in Sri Lanka and accordingly, there were no baton attacks or use of water cannons on protesters under his Government, and that a separate area was set aside for protesters near his office. President Rajapaksa also explained the engagement with civil society organisations to bring about development and reconciliation in the country,” the PMD statement further noted.
Guterres had recalled fond memories of his previous visits to Sri Lanka and assured the President that the UN will provide its full support to Sri Lanka in moving forward to promote unity among different communities, according to the PMD statement.
GTF sceptical
Responding to President Rajapaksa’s statement on inviting the Tamil Diaspora for discussions, the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), which represents a section of the Tamil Diaspora community, questioned reports that the President was continuously deferring requests for a meeting made by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).
The President was to meet with TNA representatives in June, but the meeting was cancelled at the last minute without rescheduling another date for the meeting.
TNA Leader R. Sampanthan last month wrote a letter to the President requesting an appointment to discuss the proposed new constitution as well as the progress made by the Government in addressing the UNHRC Resolution on Sri Lanka.
The TNA requested the meeting to be scheduled before the commencement of the 48th Session of the UNHRC on 13 September.
The President’s Office is yet to allocate an appointment for a meeting between the President and the TNA.
However, the GTF had noted that President Rajapaksa wanting to engage with the Tamil Diaspora was certainly a progressive move.
“The President wanting to engage with the Tamil Diaspora is certainly a progressive move and we welcome it. However, when requests were made by democratically elected representatives of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka to meet with the President, they were deferred with flimsy excuses. Now, from New York, he has declared that he wants to engage with us, the Tamil Diaspora. We wonder why this sudden change of mind has occurred, when only six months ago, in March 2021, his Government proscribed organisations like the GTF and individuals like myself as ‘terrorists’,” GTF Spokesperson Suren Surendiran told the media last week.
The GTF questioned the President’s sudden change of mind.
In March 2021, the Government proscribed seven Tamil Diaspora organisations and a number of individuals, including the GTF and Surendiran.
According to the GTF, due to this ban, the potential loss of foreign currency income for Sri Lanka was over $ 300 million per year. Surendiran had, therefore, called on the President to first justify these actions.
“The GTF didn’t stop its engagement with the people of Sri Lanka just because of (the) ill-advised action of this administration proscribing us. Even recently, we facilitated multi-million US dollar medical equipment to assist in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, not just in the North and East of the country, but in the entirety of Sri Lanka. Just for the record, we recently did a calculation of the potential loss of foreign currency income for Sri Lanka due to the proscription of organisations and persons, (which was) over $ 300 million per annum. This was in addition to the professional help and assistance that many organisations and people used to render,” Surendiran further noted.
The GTF met with former President Sirisena twice in London (2015/2018) and once in Berlin (2016). “We are ready to talk to anybody if (the) grievances of our people, in fact, (the) grievances of all peoples of Sri Lanka, can be resolved. As for the domestic mechanisms that the President wants to talk to us about, in transitional justice, there are judicial and non-judicial processes and mechanisms. We will be very happy to engage and discuss the latter, but as for the former, the UNHRC Resolution 30/1 describes what exactly needs to happen. If the President so wishes, he can engage the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the relevant UN bodies and special mandate holders (Special Rapporteurs), and they will be very willing to progress these as described in the already adopted resolutions,” the GTF maintained.
On the fast track
The Government also focused on further strengthening ties with India and fast-tracking its projects in the pipeline.
Foreign Minister Prof. Peiris met with Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
During the discussion, Prof. Peiris had briefed Dr. Jaishankar about the action taken by the Government to resolve residual matters after the end of the conflict in May 2009 and the need to conclude pending agreements to fast-track relations between the two countries.
Prof. Peiris had explained to his Indian counterpart that the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Justice were working collaboratively to address key issues, such as revisiting the PTA, releasing of LTTE prisoners, and empowering independent institutions such as the Office on Missing Persons (OMP), Office for Reparations (OR), Office of National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR), the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Council.
Dr. Jaishankar was informed that there was a strong political will in Sri Lanka to move forward in many different areas of bilateral relations between the two countries.
However, Prof. Peiris had emphasised that Sri Lanka cannot accept any external mechanisms to be active on the ground, since domestic mechanisms were vigorously moving forward.
Both Ministers had agreed that bilateral relations between the two countries were of critical importance, and Dr. Jaishankar had indicated that the need for a fair and just resolution of residual issues in the aftermath of the ethnic issues was in the interest of both countries.
The Indian Foreign Minister had noted that Indo-Lanka relations should not be limited to a single issue. He had further noted the need for a practical conclusion of the number of projects pending implementation, indicating that it would give more confidence to New Delhi to move forward in enhancing relations.
Dr. Jaishankar had reiterated that India was willing to work with Sri Lanka in many different ways, including enhancing people-to-people contacts while also highlighting the need to engage with all stakeholders, including different political parties.
SL’s commitment
The Government, which seems to be on a roll to engage with the international community, last week reaffirmed its active commitment to dialogue and engagement with the Commonwealth.
This commitment was announced by Foreign Minister Prof. Peiris during a virtual meeting with Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland in New York.
Prof. Peiris had recalled that Sri Lanka, as a founding member of the Commonwealth, remains proactive and committed to the values, principles, and objectives of the organisation.
He had noted that Sri Lanka looked forward to further collaboration with the Commonwealth in a number of areas including commerce, education, vocational training, and climate change.
Prof. Peiris had also briefed Secretary General Scotland on the steps taken by local institutions in the country with respect to reconciliation.
According to the Minister, this was an ongoing process, and the country required sufficient space for its local institutions to deliver on their mandates, and the work done by these institutions could not be replaced or taken over by external bodies.
Prof. Peiris had also referenced what was noted as the “ad hoc mechanism” that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was trying to establish and stated that it was not acceptable to Sri Lanka and not in line with the spirit and letters of the UN Charter.
Secretary General Scotland had appreciated the close engagement that Sri Lanka consistently maintained with the Commonwealth.