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Sri Lanka wholly with BIMSTEC
against terrorism and organized crime - President Rajapaksa
" Sri Lanka wholeheartedly supports the BIMSTEC Convention on
Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism, Organized Crime and
Illicit Drug Trafficking as an important and vital milestone in our
efforts on counter terrorism," said President Mahinda Rajapaksa
addressing the 2nd Summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral
Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), at New Delhi today.
"Terrorist groups are able to sustain themselves by illegal fundraising,
narcotics and people trafficking, money laundering using international
networks, and arms and ammunition smuggling including through the sea
routes in the Bay of Bengal. I urge you to consider setting up a mechanism
to effectively police the seas of the Bay of Bengal , to deny these
terrorists mobility and connectivity.
"For over two decades, Sri Lanka has been facing a tremendous challenge
to our democratic way of life through the barbaric actions of a terrorist
group, the LTTE. There is no doubt that such groups have to be dealt
with militarily. At the same time Sri Lanka believes that any underlying
causes, exploited by the terrorists in an attempt to seek legitimacy
for their operations, should be dealt with politically. I wish to assure
this august gathering that we are firmly on the path to a political
solution," President Rajapaksa said.
He added that: "While the BIMSTEC nations have constructively
and prudently engaged in the process of globalization, nevertheless
the economic challenges faced by many of our major trading partners,
will inevitably have some impact on our own pace of growth….The
situation has therefore made all of us very much aware of the protection
that regional self-reliance can afford, against global economic uncertainties."
Here is the text of President Rajapaksa’s statement;
Your Excellency, Dr. Manmohan Singh,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
On this landmark occasion of the Second BIMSTEC Summit in New Delhi
, I express my deep appreciation to His Excellency Dr. Manmohan Singh,
Prime Minister of India and the Government of India for the warm and
gracious hospitality extended to me and my delegation and for the excellent
Summit arrangements. I felicitate His Excellency the Prime Minister
of India on his unanimous election as Chairperson of BIMSTEC.
May I also take this opportunity to congratulate Your Excellency Dr
Manmohan Singh, the Government and the people of India on your great
achievement of launching the "Chandrayaan". We, as South Asians
take pride in this achievement.
I also take this opportunity to acknowledge the continuous and remarkable
contribution made by the Government of Thailand, and for having played
the role of sheet anchor in the absence of a permanent secretariat during
all these years.
This is the first BIMSTEC Summit that I am attending as the President
of Sri Lanka. I wish to reiterate my commitment to furthering the objectives
of the Grouping. I propose that we meet bi-annually as originally envisaged.
Our Summit is taking place at a time when an international financial
crisis, originating in Western capital markets, is sweeping across the
world. While the BIMSTEC nations have constructively and prudently engaged
in the process of globalization, nevertheless the economic challenges
faced by many of our major trading partners, will inevitably have some
impact on our own pace of growth.
The situation has therefore made all of us very much aware of the protection
that regional self-reliance can afford, against global economic uncertainties.
Our host India , with its vast capacity and economic potential can indeed
serve as an engine, driving and guiding us to withstand the fallout
of the global crisis while ushering prosperity for our region.
Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, distinguished delegates,
Poverty is an issue for not just some countries of our Group, but for
a significant part of the world population. The recently concluded Ministerial
Meeting on Cooperation in Poverty Alleviation, manifests the importance
that BIMSTEC attaches to this subject. In addition, the fisheries and
agriculture sectors which have great potential for poverty alleviation
merit the strongest possible focus by BIMSTEC.
The alleviation of poverty forms one of the core objectives of my government.
After three years of active implementation, a majority of the proposals
contained in the ‘Mahinda Chintana’ which is my election manifesto,
have delivered many benefits to my people. A number of poverty alleviation
programmes, both direct and indirect, indeed have proved to be success
stories, and have empowered the rural people. Sri Lanka will continue
to share her experiences in this field with the other Member States,
while contributing whole-heartedly to the collective effort against
poverty.
Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, distinguished delegates,
Achieving energy security has come to the forefront of the global agenda
and has posed a tremendous challenge, particularly to developing countries.
Oil prices have increased significantly since 2002, although there has
been a decline in the prices in recent weeks.
Our efforts at developing alternate forms of energy such as solar, wind
and bio-fuels for domestic consumption and for use by industry must
remain paramount. However, we do not support the use of arable land
to produce bio fuels to drive cars.
As the lead country for BIMSTEC cooperation in Technology , Sri Lanka
urges that the highest priority should be assigned to the BIMSTEC initiatives
for the establishment of the Energy Centre and the Trans Power Exchange
and Development Project.
The promotion of trade among us is an important means for regional
development and growth. The operationalization of the BIMSTEC Free Trade
Agreement, has despite our best efforts been delayed. Nevertheless,
we are all looking forward to the timely finalization of an Agreement
that provides for all Members equitable benefits. We are pleased that
Sri Lanka had been unanimously elected to continue as the Chair of the
Trade Negotiating Committee.
Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, distinguished delegates,
It is in our collective interest to pursue initiatives to promote inter
and intra-regional tourism. The move to establish a Tourism Information
Centre and very importantly, a Tourism Fund is commendable. We should
also seriously consider the joint marketing of the BIMSTEC region as
one destination.
In this regard, I am pleased to announce that Sri Lanka looks forward
to contributing to regional familiarization tour programmes, conducted
with the collaboration of fellow Member States. Furthermore, the Sri
Lanka Hotel School is ready to extend opportunities for nationals of
member states to follow its internationally acclaimed training programmes.
The establishment of the Cultural Industries Observatory in Bhutan
is a significant development. I am confident that such measures will
contribute immensely to the development of the tourism industry in the
region including in pilgrimage tourism.
Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, distinguished delegates,
Sri Lanka wholeheartedly supports the BIMSTEC Convention on Cooperation
in Combating International Terrorism, Organized Crime and Illicit Drug
Trafficking as an important and vital milestone in our efforts on counter
terrorism.
Terrorist groups are able to sustain themselves by illegal fundraising,
narcotics and people trafficking, money laundering using international
networks, and arms and ammunition smuggling including through the sea
routes in the Bay of Bengal . I urge you to consider setting up a mechanism
to effectively police the seas of the Bay of Bengal , to deny these
terrorists mobility and connectivity.
For over two decades, Sri Lanka has been facing a tremendous challenge
to our democratic way of life through the barbaric actions of a terrorist
group, the LTTE. There is no doubt that such groups have to be dealt
with militarily. At the same time Sri Lanka believes that any underlying
causes, exploited by the terrorists in an attempt to seek legitimacy
for their operations, should be dealt with politically. I wish to assure
this august gathering that we are firmly on the path to a political
solution.
We welcome the consensus on establishing a Secretariat. This will give
the necessary institutional strength. Sri Lanka is ready, in a spirit
of commitment to the success of the BIMSTEC process, to host the Secretariat
in Colombo .
Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, distinguished delegates,
By founding this grouping, we have united in a community of littoral
and hinterland states of the Bay of Bengal . Through our efforts in
BIMSTEC, we must resolutely ensure that our peoples would be the beneficiaries
of a number of freedoms, including most importantly, freedom from the
fear of terrorism and freedom from hunger and poverty. We owe them no
less.
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