Sri Lanka, 2006

On behalf of the

Government and people of Sri Lanka I congratulate

you, Madam President, on your assumption of the high

office of the presidency of the General Assembly at its

sixty-first session. I am happy to note that a lady from

a sister Asian country will guide us through the current

session. As Sri Lanka was the first country in the

modern world to elect a woman as Head

of Government — Prime Minister Sirimavo

Bandaranaike — your assumption of this high office is

of special significance to us. To Mr. Jan Eliasson I

convey our gratitude for the leadership he provided

during the work of the sixtieth session.

In 1970, when I was first elected to the

Parliament of Sri Lanka, a paragraph in the Preamble

to the Charter of the United Nations gave substance

and direction to my future political life. It was “to

reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the

dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal

rights of men and women and of nations large and

small”. Having been a human rights campaigner at the

grassroots level throughout my political life, I found it

natural that my new Government should be committed

to carrying the message of democracy to all corners of

our multi-ethnic, multicultural and multi-religious

country. “Democracy, equity and prosperity” is our

clarion call.

In addition, my country has been influenced by

the core Buddhist values of non-violence, loving

kindness, compassion, equanimity and mindfulness.

With this sense of direction, our Government has

committed itself “Towards a new Sri Lanka”, guided

by a vision of peace, where every Sri Lankan citizen

may live with dignity and self-respect, in freedom and

without fear, free of want, and where every child may

enjoy childhood and grow up with hope and

expectation.

However, Sri Lanka’s dream is threatened by a

terrible affliction that impedes development,

undermines democracy and challenges fundamental

freedoms. I refer to the bane of terrorism which

confronts my country and many other countries of the

world. I reaffirm my Government’s firm commitment

to supporting all global efforts to combat terrorism

whenever and wherever it raises its ugly head.

Terrorism has become closely intertwined with

organized crime. It is now directly linked with people

smuggling, the trade in illicit drugs, the illegal trade in

small arms and money-laundering. Terrorism is a major

impediment to development and poses a terrible

challenge to civilized society. We support all measures

undertaken in the United Nations to meet this

challenge. We have ratified all United Nations

conventions in this regard.

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In our capacity as Chair of the ad hoc committee

on measures to eliminate international terrorism we

shall spare no effort to realize the international legal

framework to facilitate our common struggle against

terrorism. It is our fervent hope that the comprehensive

convention on international terrorism will soon become

a reality.

The illicit trade in and trafficking of small arms

and light weapons has contributed to the escalation of

many local conflicts because of the easy availability of

arms for non-State actors. Sri Lanka is concerned that,

despite the commitment of the international community

to wipe out this menace, the impact at ground level

throughout the world is limited. We hope that the

United Nations Plan of Action on this matter will be

fully implemented and its scope further expanded in

the future.

With regard to terrorism, I speak from personal

experience in my own country. Exploiting minority

concerns, which we are addressing politically, a

ruthless terrorist outfit in Sri Lanka, the LTTE, has

been terrorizing our people for over two decades. In an

age when the world seeks dialogue and peace, the

LTTE devotes its full force to violence, suicide

bombings, massacre of civilians, indiscriminate armed

assaults and the conscription of young children for war.

Assurances given to the Special Representative of the

Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict on

the conscription of children for armed combat have

been blatantly violated.

At the presidential election in November last year

people in certain parts of Sri Lanka were cruelly

deprived of their freedom to vote. Furthermore, in an

act of ethnic cleansing more than 60,000 Muslims were

forcibly expelled from their homes in the north.

Our Government believes that some of the

concerns of minorities in my country have deep roots.

In this connection I recall the following words in the

Constitution of the United Nations Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):

“since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the

minds of men that the defences of peace must be

constructed”.

Soon after my election, despite the violence

unleashed by the terrorists, I expressed the conviction

that we needed to address the causes of the conflict

from a fresh perspective and with a new approach to

develop a sustainable solution. We examined this issue

with an open mind, and looked at every option with a

view to evolving a national consensus to achieve an

honourable peace in an undivided country. A

consultative process is currently under way to prepare

constitutional proposals to address the concerns of the

minorities. I have invited the LTTE to participate in the

process of seeking a solution to the conflict through

dialogue.

As one of the oldest democracies in Asia, we are

firmly convinced that the restoration of democracy, the

creation of space for dissent, and the promotion of

human rights in the conflict-affected areas are essential

elements of a successful and sustainable process of

peace. I hope that the international community will

continue to extend to us its fullest support towards the

transformation of the LTTE into a democratic civilian

organization.

Our Government firmly believes that terrorism

cannot be eliminated through military means alone. We

remain fully committed to talking with the LTTE,

either directly or through a facilitator. It is our hope

that the LTTE will transform itself from a terrorist

outfit into one that is committed to dialogue and

democracy. Our Government stands ready to respond to

any display of good will and a move towards a non-

violent approach.

We continue to take unilateral humanitarian

measures, which extend even to terrorist cadres. As a

responsible Government we will continue to provide

unhindered access to conflict-affected areas to the

International Committee of the Red Cross, United

Nations agencies and other recognized humanitarian

agencies.

More than 53,000 Muslims were evicted from

their homes by the terrorists following the recent

violence. They are the innocent victims of the LTTE’s

ruthless policies. Following Government counter-

measures, almost all have now returned to their homes.

The Government has assumed responsibility to provide

medical supplies, food and other essential items to the

internally displaced persons living in the affected

areas.

I am pleased to state that, despite the conflict in

our country, the economy of Sri Lanka continues to

grow at a commendable rate. In the first quarter of this

year we recorded growth of 8.1 per cent — the highest

in 28 years. With our determination to further enhance

growth with equity, we have adopted an economic

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strategy that will provide opportunities for all citizens,

while giving adequate space to the private sector as the

engine of growth.

We continue to maintain the highest rating in

South Asia on the Human Development Index. We

have already achieved some of the Millennium

Development Goal targets in primary school

enrolment, gender equality and maternal and infant

mortality rates. We hope that the increased economic

opportunities in the country will further encourage the

LTTE to opt for a negotiated peace.

We follow a pro-poor development strategy, with

a focus on regionally balanced growth. Our objective is

to achieve overall development while raising the

income levels of the poor through the empowerment of

communities living at the grass-roots level. In this

connection, Sri Lanka hopes that debt forgiveness will

continue to be expanded to encourage the development

of developing countries. It is only right that those who

reach the heights of development should pause to lend

a helping hand to those who have fallen behind due to

circumstances.

I wish to acknowledge the role of President

Clinton, the United Nations Special Envoy for Tsunami

Recovery, and the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan,

for their assistance with tsunami-related support. I also

acknowledge the support given by many other

countries. I am pleased to state that, despite being a

developing country, we are now well on the way to

recovery from this massive disaster, in many instances

as a result of the efforts of our own people. We urge

our development partners to stay involved with us in

this long-term effort.

We in Sri Lanka see the United Nations as

indispensable in creating a just and secure world order.

We, the 192 Members of the United Nations, must

continue to have faith in our collective capacity to

reform the United Nations so that it is made more

effective and more relevant to the needs of its

Members in facing the challenges of the twenty-first

century.

We are pleased with several important measures

that have been adopted since the sixtieth session. Given

my personal commitment to the promotion of human

rights at both the local and international level, the

establishment of the Human Rights Council, with

enhanced status and capacity to promote and protect

human rights worldwide, is a cause for delight. I am

happy that Sri Lanka was elected to the Council last

May. In honouring a pledge made during the

presidential election last year, we have already started

work on crafting a human rights charter in Sri Lanka.

Consistent with our goal of safeguarding human rights,

my Government will establish an international panel to

observe investigations into certain alleged human

rights violations that my Government has already

condemned.

The establishment of the Peacebuilding

Commission is another important landmark

achievement of the United Nations this year. We are

pleased that Sri Lanka has been elected to its

organizing Committee as a founder member of that

important body. The needs and concerns of those

affected, the specific theatres of conflict, and the

realities on the ground of each specific situation must

necessarily be taken into account in the Commission’s

work.

We are also encouraged by the general agreement

that the Security Council must be strengthened, as it

does not reflect current geopolitical realities. We

therefore look forward to the continuation of work

towards Security Council reform, towards making its

composition more representative and its decision-

making more democratic. It is essential that the

Security Council reflect the current geopolitical

realities in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

For long years now, on the basis of our

commitment to human rights and dignity, we have had

a lasting interest in seeing the emergence of peace in

the Middle East. Recognition of the rights of the

Palestinian people is of concern to me and to my

country. Many Sri Lankans have in recent years made

the Middle East their temporary home. We are pained

by the recent escalation of violence in that region and

the devastation in Lebanon. It is our sincere hope that

Security Council resolution 1701 (2006) will pave the

way for peace and security for Lebanon and the region.

The Preamble to the Charter requires that we

“unite our strength to maintain international peace and

security”. Let us all, Members of the United Nations,

focus sharply on this commitment. Let us dedicate

ourselves to its realization and let us mobilize our

collective energies towards the achievement of peace

and security worldwide.

Let us make peace the goal of the present decade.

Let us all unite for peace. May all living beings be free

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of suffering, be healthy and be prosperous. May the

blessings of the Noble Triple Gem be with you all.