By Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island

CIA Chief’s cloak-and-dagger visit:

Pivuthuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader, Udaya Gammanpila, MP, yesterday (06) said that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government and the US embassy in Colombo should come clean on CIA Director William Joseph Burns’ Colombo visit.

The former Power and Energy Minister said so in response to The Island query whether the government had challenged his claim on the CIA chief’s visit.

I’m 100 percent sure Burns was here on February 14,” MP Gammanpila said, challenging the government and the US Embassy here to contradict him, if they could.

Pointing out that Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, PC, in response to Jathika Nidahas Peramuna (JNP) leader Wimal Weerawansa’s disclosures in Parliament about the alleged CIA intervention in the State Intelligence Service (SIS) had denied any knowledge of the secret visit of the top CIA spook.

Responding to another query, the former minister said that there was absolutely no doubt that Burns accompanied US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs (PDASD), Jedidiah P Royal. He emphasised that there were altogether 29 persons including the crew of two C-17 Globe Masters and the delegation.

The Defence Ministry released pictures of Jedidiah meeting with State Defence Minister Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon and Defence Secretary Gen. (ret) Kamal Guneratne, separately, the

MP pointed out, asking who Burns had met in Colombo during the whistle stop visit.

Referring to media reports that Nepal had not permitted the CIA Director’s visit, MP Gammanpila said that Burns was to fly from Colombo to Kathmandu, in the third week of February, but had been compelled to fly home.

Gammanpila said that the government should set the record straight if it truly felt JNP leader Wimal Weerawansa, General Secretary of the Communist Party Dr. G. Weerasinghe and he had misconstrued facts regarding the recent controversial US visit.

Declaring that the US was seeking enhanced access to Sri Lanka, MP Gammanpila claimed that among the issues raised by the US was the signing of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), also known as the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

Pointing out that Sri Lanka had entered into another military agreement, Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) in August 2017, MP Gammanpila said that in spite of extremely close Indo-US relations in line with American Indo-Pacific strategy, New Delhi would still be uncomfortable against the backdrop of much-expanded US role here.

Regardless of their differences India and China skipped the vote at the UN General Assembly to pressure Russia to withdraw forces from Ukraine. Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Vietnam were among those countries that abstained.

MP Gammanpila urged the government to come clean on the CIA Director’s visit as Sri Lanka couldn’t afford to become a member of any alliance. The PHU leader pointed out how Quad countries, namely the US, Japan, Australia and India, pursued an agenda that may not help peaceful resolution of disputes.

Gammanpila said the economic-political-social crisis had weakened the country and opened the way for external powers to enhance their influence through various means. The MP cited as example the recent joint statement issued by the US Embassy and Sir John Kotelawela Defence University at the launch of what they called a shared vision for the Indo-Pacific.