Sri Lanka urges US to focus on business, not just rights
May 26, 2010 07:02 am
Visiting
A year after the end of the civil war, “the circumstances
are propitious for a certain strengthening and deepening of the relationship
between
“We are not in anyway resentful of the focus on human rights. That is understandable. We are not complaining about it,” Peiris told a gathering hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.
“But we are making the point that the relationship should
not be one dimensional. There are many other things that
Rajapakse has come under fire at home and abroad for allegedly violating human rights in the final military campaign against Tamil Tiger rebels and has been accused of suppressing dissent since his reelection.
Representatives from the International Crisis Group and Amnesty International aired some of the alleged abuses in a question-and-answer session with Peiris following his speech about post-election and post-war developments.
Business opportunities abound, according to Peiris, who was minister for international trade in the previous government.
“In particular, as we open up the country, as we rebuild the infrastructure, I think there is a great deal of scope for American companies to come in and participate fully in that exercise,” he said.
Peiris talked of a new “mood of optimism” in
Peiris said he met earlier Tuesday with US senators and congressmen and planned to hold more meetings with them over the next two days.
He is also to meet with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday after she returns from east Asia.
AFP