FM responds to Alston

 “We have sent a letter to the Special Rapporteur explaining to him that we are studying the contents of his letter and have appointed a special committee to investigate matters contained in it. This is a committee appointed by the President to investigate a report by the US State Department sent to the US congress a few months back,” Minister Bogollagama told Daily Mirror Online

The Special Rapporteur last month asked the government of Sri Lanka to explain the statements made by General Sarath Fonseka to the Sunday Leader Newspaper.

The Minister went on to state that the statements made by the General had led to ramifications for the government of Sri Lanka and therefore officials needed time to respond to the matters contained in the Rapporteur’s letter. “The letter has led to a lot of repercussions for the government, the people and to some of the Army officers whose identities were revealed. Therefore we can’t address some of these issues instantly; our position has to be well established. Therefore once the panel has studied the document the needed response will be sent by the Foreign Ministry,” Bogollagama said.

When asked if the government intended to prosecute the General on his statements the Minister said, “If anyone is in violation of the laws of the country, any government has the right to take action.”

The Minister spoke to DM online on the efforts by the government to secure LTTE funds overseas.  “We are working with our overseas counterparts in securing these assets and transferring them to Sri Lanka,” he said.

He further said that K. Pathmanadan was being utilized by the government in this regard. “By detaining him, we are in a position to seek information in terms of where LTTE assets are and also how the LTTE had been operating. His being in custody is beneficial to Sri Lanka,” he said.

The Minister said that Sri Lanka was working towards recovering the 10 Slin 143Z light Aircraft belonging to the LTTE and in Eritrea. However media hype about the matter was hampering the efforts of the government. “There has been media speculation about these Planes in Eritrea; that has virtually compromised our bilateral relations with Eritrea. We are trying to establish our Diplomatic Mission in Eritrea, have got Cabinet approval and are working towards this goal,” he said.

The Government is confident of receiving the GSP+ tax concession in 2010, the Minister told DM Online. “We are confident we have done the right thing and we want to ensure that the people of Sri Lanka don’t lose out on good trade relations, good political understanding and the concession from the European Commission. Much to the disappointment of many in the opposition we still have GSP+ in 2010 and will continue to have it,” he said.

The Minister explained that Sri Lanka’s bilateral and multilateral relations will hold out and help in receiving the concession. “We have responded to some of the issues presented by the European Union. However not in terms of an investigation, that the EC was initially trying to accomplish. I have confidence in my counterparts in Brussels and I have a feeling that they will bear their influence in Brussels towards brining a just resolution to these issues, he said.