We closed a sad a chapter of our country – President
September 23, 2010 09:16 pm
No nation on earth could wish Sri Lanka’s Tamil community goodwill than Sri Lanka itself, President Rajapaksa added during his UNGA address. He also added that as we close a sad chapter of our country, economic development and political reconciliation must go hand in hand.
In this contact President Rajapaksa added that over 90% of IDPs have been already resettled.
Full Speech delivered by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the 65th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Mr. President
Excellencies
I have great pleasure in congratulating Your Excellency Joseph Deiss, on your
assumption of the Chair of the sixty fifth Session of the General Assembly.
I also take this opportunity to extend our appreciation to the President of the
sixty fourth Session, His Excellency Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, for his
effective stewardship of the General Assembly.
Mr. President, Excellencies,
That the United Nations is now in its sixty fifth year serves to underline the
durability of this organisation. It is an important mechanism in ensuring
co-operation between States and a forum for discussion between sovereign
nations. We must never under-estimate the importance of this organisation based
as it is, on the principle of equal treatment of countries big and small.
It is in this spirit that I address you at a crucial juncture in the history of
my own country. In two months, I will be assuming office for my second term.
My mandate will be very different from my last. For my second term as
President, my promise to my people, is to deliver sustainable peace and
prosperity to all and ensure that terrorism will not be able to raise its ugly
head again.
In 2005, I was elected by my people on a promise to rid my country of the
menace of terrorism. I say that Sri
Lanka is now at peace, peace that was only a
dream a few years ago.
Over the past year, much has been reported and much has been said regarding my
country’s liberation from terrorism. However, far less has been said of the
suffering we had to undergo and the true nature of the enemy we have overcome.
The rapidly forgotten truth is that we had to face one of the most brutal,
highly organised, well funded and effective terrorist organisations, that could
even spread its tentacles to other countries.
Many of the atrocities of terrorism that the West has come to experience in
recent times, the people of Sri Lanka
were themselves the victims of, for nearly 30 years, losing almost one hundred
thousand lives, among them being a President of Sri Lanka, a visionary leader
of India
and scores of intellectuals and politicians.
The LTTE was an organisation so brutal, that even those it claimed to
represent, the Tamil community of Sri Lanka, were as much victims of
its terror as the rest of the population of our country.
Those who observing from afar, suggested that the Sri Lankan government should
have conceded to the demands of the terrorists, need to be reminded that terror
is terror, whatever mask it wears and however it is packaged. To all those, I
say this. My responsibility is to the entire nation. My responsibility is to
the lives of millions of men, women and children, and those yet to be born. My
responsibility is to the peace and prosperity of the nation and the right to a
peaceful life for all who live there.
In this context, it is worth examining the capacity of current international
humanitarian law to meet contemporary needs. It must be remembered that such
law evolved essentially in response to conflicts waged by the forces of legally
constituted States, and not terrorist groups. The asymmetrical nature of
conflicts initiated by non-state actors gives rise to serious problems which
need to be considered in earnest by the international community.
As we close a sad chapter in our country’s history, I would like to remind you
that we, along with many others, made repeated attempts to engage the LTTE in
constructive dialogue. I still believe dialogue is the best method to resolve
any conflict but, it is much to be regretted that all these attempts were
rejected with reckless arrogance and contempt. It is in these circumstances
that we were compelled to mount a humanitarian operation with the blessings of
many international friends, to neutralise acts of terrorism and restore peace
and security.
Excellencies,
The entire focus of our nation, is now on building a lasting peace; healing
wounds, ensuring economic prosperity and guaranteeing the rights of the whole
nation to live in harmony. We are mindful that in order to fulfil these
aspirations, economic development and political reconciliation must go hand in
hand. Towards this end, constitutional changes which appropriately reflect
aspirations of our people will be evolved with the full participation of all
stakeholders.
We are pursuing a nation-wide agenda of renewal. Sri Lanka has already returned over
90% of the internally displaced persons to their original villages that were
previously riddled with landmines, and provided the essential infrastructure
necessary to resume normal life. We have helped bring back the vitality of
youth to former child soldiers.
We have rebuilt the Eastern
Province and begun the
same task in the North. Sri
Lanka’s Armed Forces now have the role of
delivering essential services, rebuilding habitats, clearing mines and
restoring vital infrastructure to whole tracts of formerly decimated land.
Despite the lingering dangers that have remained, Sri Lanka has never-the-less
repealed a substantial part of the Emergency Regulations so necessary during
our conflict situation and plans to repeal a good part of the remainder in the
coming months.
A great deal has been said by those beyond our borders about our Tamil
community. Let me be clear, no nation on earth can wish Sri Lanka’s Tamil community more good fortune
than Sri Lanka
itself.
To the mis-guided few, I say, do not allow yourselves to become an instrument
of division, hate and violence, to be used as an enabler for hatred to be
reborn in another form. Rather come, let us join hands and break the bonds of
mis-trust to rise to new horizons.
Sri Lanka
recognises the challenges we face, among the greatest of which is healing the
wounds of the recent past. To this end, earlier this year, a Lessons Learnt and
Reconciliation Commission has been established, giving full expression to the
principles of accountability.
This independent Commission, comprising eight Sri Lankans of eminence and
stature, has already begun its work. Recently, the Commission handed over to me
an interim communication recommending certain administrative steps that may
need to be taken in the reconciliation process.
We believe that for the rebuilding and healing of our nation to succeed, the
process must evolve from within. If history has taught us one thing, it is that
imposed external solutions breed resentment and ultimately fail. Ours, by
contrast, is a home grown process, which reflects the culture and traditions of
our people.
We certainly welcome the support of the international community as we rebuild
our lands and our economy. We sincerely hope that they will be prepared to take
a practical approach to developing partnerships with Sri Lanka through international
trade, investment and capacity building.
Our economy is well on the way to realising the dividend of peace. We are
experiencing steady and sustained growth including during the last quarter of
over eight per cent, moderate inflation and low interest rates. During the last
five (5) years, we saw our per capita income double. It is our ambition to take
this further; to double yet again the present per capita income by 2016 and
also become one of the top 30 countries for doing business by 2014.
“Mahinda Chinthana – Vision for the Future”, my election manifesto articulates
my vision of having sound infrastructure at the national, provincial and rural
levels, which is vital for the inclusive growth, that will make development
meaningful to the entirety of society.
I can also proudly claim that my country through the economic strategy is
comfortably realizing the millennium development goals, well in advance of the
target set by the United Nations.
We are at present strongly focussing on putting in place the necessary public
infrastructure and strengthening the enabling policy environment for the
private sector to invest even more in my country.
Mr. President,
In order to achieve the full realization of our potential, we desire a
supportive external environment. Towards this end, we will always look for constructive
engagement and partnerships. We will from our side, continue to contribute as
we have always done, to the cause of multi-lateralism and a principled global
order.
In this regard, I am happy to note that 2010 marks the fiftieth (50) anniversary
since we first contributed to a UN Peacekeeping Mission. Our Armed Forces and
the Police are today combat tested, with a capacity to carry out their duties
in the most challenging of conditions. I wish Mr. President, therefore to use
this forum to re-affirm our willingness to further enhance our support to the
UN Peace-Keeping Operations.
Mr. President,
The world unlike in the past has become severely vulnerable to natural
disasters. Almost every day we see millions of people becoming victims of severe
floods, landslides, volcanoes, cyclones, earthquakes and the like. It has
become increasingly difficult for affected countries to manage unassisted, the
post disaster recovery programmes. The recent natural calamities in our region
underline the crucial need for effective action, in which there is collective
participation, to reduce human suffering. Without doubt, climate change and
global warming are today issues which demand the urgent attention of all
nations.
Mr. President,
Among the political issues that have continued to fester for too long, is the
continued denial of the right of the Palestinian people to a State of their own
within recognized and secure borders. It is the fervent hope of the people of Sri Lanka that
this most tragic of situations would be resolved without delay in a sustainable
manner. We hope that Palestine
will be a full member of this Assembly next year.
Mr. President,
Our guiding principle must always be that of mutual respect in international
discourse, even as we dis-approve and condemn measures such as unilateral
embargoes.
Experience in the recent past amply demonstrates that these embargoes impact
not on governments but on the most vulnerable sections of the community. In the
same spirit, I would call for the empathy of the international community,
towards the aspirations of the Cuban people.
Mr President,
I also wish to urge with all the emphasis at my command the need for greater
concern and involvement on the part of the international community to assist
the people of Africa in their efforts to
elevate the quality of life on their continent.
Leaders who have been chosen by their people often face difficult decisions.
They must be entitled to the good will and confidence of the international
community with regard to the heavy burdens they are required to shoulder. The
results of their decisions must be evaluated objectively and must be allowed to
speak for themselves.
That is not to say countries should operate in isolation. In this globally
inter-dependent world, we must work together where we can and constructively
counsel each other where appropriate.
The United Nations forms the bed-rock of this interaction and in this role it
will always receive the support of Sri Lanka.
May the Noble Triple Gem Bless you!
Policy Research and Information Unit
Presidential Secretariat