Defence deal offered to Lanka

Pakistan, a key supplier of small arms to Sri Lanka, has proposed a defence pact to boost military cooperation between the two countries, Pakistani officials said Friday.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made the offer to his Sri Lankan counterpart Rohitha Bogollegama on the sidelines of a South Asian meeting in Colombo, the officials said. “A (draft) defence cooperation agreement has been given to Sri Lanka,” said a senior Pakistani official who did not wish to be named.

India has been uneasy about the growing military clout of its arch-rival Pakistan in Sri Lanka, which New Delhi regards as being within its sphere of geo-political influence.

Islamabad is already an important supplier of small arms and ammunition to Sri Lankan security forces, who are battling separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, and Pakistan is also training a large number of Sri Lankan military personnel.

Indian diplomats have privately raised concerns about closer defence ties between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which also buys military hardware from China and Israel as well as from former Soviet Union states.

“We want Sri Lanka to quickly move on that (the draft agreement),” the Pakistan diplomatic official said, adding the pact was intended to bring the two sides closer. There was no immediate comment from Sri Lankan authorities on the Pakistani proposal. Details of the defence pact offer were not immediately available.

Read more,
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online

FM urges Australia to ban LTTE

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama yesterday held bilateral discussions with his counterparts from Australia, Myanmar, Laos, South Korea, and the Philippines on the sidelines of the 15th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Singapore.

During a meeting with his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith, Minister

Bogollagama expressed serious concern over the activities of the LTTE and its front organizations through its influence over certain misguided elements in the Sri Lankan diaspora in Australia.

Citing the ongoing criminal prosecution against three Australians of Sri Lankan origin, on charges relating to raising funds for terrorism as well as the recent arrest of another Australian in Melbourne, at the request of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, as significant steps by Australia to support the global fight against terrorism, Minister Bogollagama urged the Australian government to proscribe the LTTE as a terrorist organisation, the Foreign

Ministry said.Such a measure would provide the legal framework for the authorities to take effective action against fund raising and propaganda activities by the LTTE and its fronts operating on Australian soil.

With the restoration of democracy to the Eastern Province and the conflict situation being confined to two districts in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka has once again emerged as a safe destination for foreign tourists. He emphasised the need to restore air links between the two countries.

Read more,
http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/07/24/sec02.asp

LTTE declares unilateral ceasefire -Government rejects the offer

The LTTE Political Wing announced it will observe a unilateral ceasefire that is devoid of military actions during the period of the SAARC conference from 26th July to 4th August, but the government of Sri Lanka rejects rebels offer and said no discussions with any party on this matter.

Responding an oral question rose by Parliamentarian Mr.Wimal Weerawansa, in parliament today Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said the government does not response this offer. He said a number of local and international allies try to stop operations against the rebels.

�At present government is defeating the terrorists .We never stop these operations, he said.

A rebel statement said the Tigers would refrain from military action during the 15th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) conference but warned they would be forced to take \"defensive action\" if the island\'s military carried out any offensives against them.

The government sources further said it had not received an official ceasefire notification from the rebels and expressed wariness about the move.

Meanwhile the head of the government peace secretariat, Rajiva Wijesinghe, said the government needs time to carefully consider the LTTE call for a ceasefire during the SAARC summit and will wait till it is officially communicated.

Extracted from,
http://www.lankaeverything.com/vinews/srilanka/20080722013647.php

Full text of the press release of the LTTE,
http://www.ltteps.org/?view=2218&folder=2

Video Source,
http://www.itn.lk/news_04_20080722.html

Sri Lankan Minister invites PM Koirala to 15th SAARC summit

Visiting Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs Rohitha Bogollagama called on Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at the latter’s official residence in Baluwatar on Wednesday.

The Foreign Minister invited PM Koirala to attend the 15th summit of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which is due to be held at Colombo in Sri Lanka from July 27 to August 23.

The Sri Lankan envoy also congratulated PM Koirala for the establishment of republic and the success on the peace process.

The meeting mainly dwelt on regular and new agendas, mutual support and airlines connecting the capital to Colombo.

The 15th SAARC summit will be focused on shortage of food and oil crisis and the problems of terrorism, according to Secretary at the Foreign Ministry Gyan Chandra Acharya.

Read more,
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=152264

Lankan Foreign Minister to visit India from Sunday

The situation in Sri Lanka, which has been witnessing a spurt in violence recently, will come up for discussion here next week when Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama undertakes a visit here.

The Indian side is expected to convey its worry over the situation in the island nation when Bogollagama holds talks with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and meets Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday.

India has been closely watching the situation in Sri Lanka where violence and clashes between army and LTTE have marked a substantial increase.

The Sri Lankan army has said it has launched a major operation to capture LTTE chief V Prabhakaran "alive".

Commenting on the developments in Sri Lanka, Prime Minister said on Monday that the conflict in the neighbouring country "has given a lot of worries because many times it happens that when ethnic tensions increase, there is a tendency of increased inflow of refugees in our country".

It also creates "both domestic problems as well as foreign policy problems," he said.

Bogollagama will extend a formal invite to the Prime Minister for the 15th SAARC Summit to be held in Colombo in August.

Read more,
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200806131865.htm

“India’s naval surveillance a big help to Sri Lanka”

India’s maritime “surveillance” has “helped” Sri Lanka in “a big way” in facing the challenge from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Emphasising this, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollogama told The Hindu that his country would continue to “advocate” that the international community take steps to dry up the sources of funding and other forms of support for the LTTE.

Outlining Sri Lanka’s diplomatic offensive in East Asia, Mr. Bogollogama, who was here to attend the ‘Shangri-La Dialogue,’ cited Australia for its efforts in moving against suspected pro-LTTE fund-raisers and front-men.

Asked whether the LTTE’s nucleus still remained intact, he said external assistance was needed to prevent “the supply of energy” to this core particle. While Canada, the United States, India, the United Kingdom, and the European Union had already proscribed the LTTE, Sri Lanka would not relent in its campaign for further actions by the international community.

“The navies of India and Sri Lanka are cooperating to the extent at which the interests of both countries are safeguarded vis-À-vis the threat that can emanate from the [maritime] movement of terrorists led by the LTTE.” He would not, however, describe this naval cooperation in any politically-sensitive terminology.

Read more,
http://www.hindu.com/2008/06/04/stories/2008060455721300.htm

Pakistan back in Commonwealth; appreciates Sri Lanka's support

Pakistan has been re-admitted to the Councils of the Commonwealth with immediate effect, a decision following Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama's call at the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) meeting in London yesterday, when he made the opening statement and strongly urged the nine member body to immediately lift Pakistan's suspension.

The Minister stated that following the full restoration of democracy in the country, Pakistan has complied with all conditions and requirements set down by the CMAG, and emphasised that the issue should no longer remain on the CMAG agenda. The CMAG unanimously adopted the Foreign Minister's proposal.

Sri Lanka, spearheaded by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, had earlier opposed vigorously the decision to suspend Pakistan from Commonwealth in London and Kampala last November.

Read more,
http://www.news.lk/index.php?

Showcasing a success

ON the evening of March 11, heads of foreign missions based in Colombo received an invitation from the Foreign Ministry to gather at the office of Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama the following day at 11 a.m. for a briefing on the just-concluded local body elections in Batticaloa district. Similarly, members of the local and international press corps were called to his office for another briefing on the elections.

The invites raised several eyebrows. What has the Foreign Ministry got to do with the conduct of local body elections in just one of three eastern districts?

For the Mahinda Rajapaksa government and its Foreign Ministry, the Batticaloa elections constituted an extraordinary feat for more than one reason and deserved to be promoted as such.

The logic and objective of showcasing the Batticaloa elections to the international community is three-fold. First, the government succeeded in conducting the elections without any untoward incident in an area, parts of which were wrested from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) less than a year ago. Secondly, the government can take credit for bringing a section of the LTTE, the breakaway faction led by Vigyanamurthy Muralitharan alias ‘Col’ Karuna, now led by Pillian, into the political mainstream.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, it is a reflection of the commitment of the government to usher in democracy in the erstwhile LTTE-dominated areas and provide an idea of the shape of things to come in the East and eventually in the North, parts of which continue to be under the control of the Tigers.

Read the full article here,
http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/stories/20080411250704600.htm

FM strongly protests US State Department's Human Rights Report

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama today (14th March 2008) called in the US Ambassador in Sri Lanka Robert Blake to register Sri Lanka's serious concerns about the recently released U.S. State Department's 2007 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Sri Lanka.

The report presents a distorted view of the actual situation in Sri Lanka during the year 2007 and is unfortunately a litany of unsubstantiated allegations, innuendo and vituperative exaggerations.

It was noted that there was a suspicious similarity between the comments made in the report and the views expressed by those deliberately seeking to denigrate the Government of Sri Lanka. While Sri Lanka had concerns with respect to human rights in the late 2006 and early 2007, the government had taken a range of positive steps to address these concerns.

The Government was confident that the situation will continue to improve. Human rights is an important issue for the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL).

The Minister who said the Foreign Ministry was in the process of preparing a detailed response on the issues raised in the U.S. State Department Report, went on to share Sri Lanka's objections to the conclusions of the State Department report.

Read more,
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080314_09

Sri Lankan Official in Riyadh to Seek Clemency for Rizana

Sri Lankan Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Bhaila arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday to lobby on behalf of a Sri Lankan maid who was sentenced to beheading for the death of an infant in her care.

“I came here to make a personal appeal to seek clemency from the parents of the infant who died in the hands of the teenaged maid,” Bhaila told Arab News on arrival at the King Khaled International Airport.

Rizana Nafeek, 20, was sentenced to beheading for the death of a four-month-old infant boy on May 22, 2005, in Dawadami, about 390 km west of Riyadh. Last week the case was passed to the Cassation Court in Riyadh.

Bhaila said that he came to the Kingdom on a request made by Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, who has taken a personal interest in Nafeek’s case. Bhaila added that the Sri Lankan government respects the decisions of the Kingdom’s judiciary.

Read more,
http://www.arabnews.com/

Foreign Ministry slams AI report

The recent Amnesty International report fails to acknowledge the many positive steps taken by the Government to promote freedom of expression which is enshrined in the Constitution, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

It fails to acknowledge any positive steps taken by the Government of Sri Lanka to enhance protection in an environment of combating terrorism and shadowy killers, the Ministry said.

The Ministry said: “The attention of the Government of Sri Lanka has been drawn to a recent report issued by Amnesty International titled “Sri Lanka-Silencing Dissent” on alleged threats to media and media freedom.

The Report is totally misplaced - a contradiction between the title ‘silencing dissent’ and Government’s sustained policy of open and constructive engagement with the international community and international human rights mechanisms.

In 2007 the Government extended invitations to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on the human rights of internally displaced persons, the Special Rapporteur on Torture, and in early 2008, to a delegation from the Inter Parliamentary Union and Ms Angela Kane, the UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs.

Read more,
http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/03/08/news03.asp

Top UN official arrives in Sri Lanka

Angela Kane, UN assistant secretary general for political affairs arrived in Sri Lanka today following a request from UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon for a weeklong fact finding mission, Foreign Ministry announced.

“The top UN official will come here for a week for primarily to review the work of the UN Country Team in the South Asian nation in all key areas,” a statement said.

“The visit is part of her regular consultations in the areas of her responsibility,” it added.

Foreign Ministry said that Ms. Kane will hold talks with the Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona and envoys from the European Union, Norway and India. She will also meet the opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe. The top UN official is expected to meet leaders of the All Party Representative's Committee (APRC) during her weeklong visit from Feb 20 through 26.

Exrtacted from,
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_08/February20124758JV.html

Foreign Ministers of Sri Lanka and Singapore discuss ties, progress in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama today apprised Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo of the current political situation in Sri Lanka and outlined developments relating to the termination of the Ceasefire Agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

He also briefed his counterpart on the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) proposals and the upcoming elections in the Eastern Province. The Minister reiterated that the Sri Lankan government remains committed to a peaceful solution of the present conflict.

Noting that air connectivity between Singapore and Sri Lanka had increased to 44 flights per week, the Minister asked Singapore to consider Sri Lanka as a “source country” for recruiting foreign staff for the planned integrated resorts in Singapore.

Read more,
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_08/February18143637JR.html

Sri Lanka desires enhanced trade with Pakistan: Rohitha Bogollagama

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on Thursday said his country wants to expand bilateral trade with Pakistan from the existing $ 385 million to $ one billion.

Addressing a press conference here this evening, the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister said during his talks with the President, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of Pakistan the two sides expressed the desire to forge a comprehensive economic partnership for mutual benefit.

He said in this backdrop, the two countries discussed how to make the Joint Economic Commission and the Joint Council more effective to give boost to trade and economic cooperation.

He said the two countries are discussing issuance of multiple visa for business travels to facilitate businessmen of the two countries to have more interaction.

Rohitha Bogollagama said there is great potential for cooperation in shipping and Sri Lanka was interested in utilization of Pakistani tankers for transportation of crude oil from the Middle East.

He said Sri Lanka was shortly announcing blocks for oil exploration and wants to utilize the Pakistani expertise for this purpose.

Read more,
http://www.app.com.pk/en/index.php?option=com_conten

PM’s Colombo visit dates not yet finalised

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will not participate in the 60th Independence Day celebrations of Sri Lanka on February 4, the island nation’s Foreign Minister, Rohitha Bogollagama, said here on Friday.

Mr. Bogollagama clarified that though Sri Lanka had extended an invitation to Dr. Singh, the dates of his visit are yet to be worked out.

The disclosure that the dates of Dr. Singh’s visit to the island nation have not yet been finalised was made a day after the Foreign Minister called the Indian High Commissioner Alok Prasad to inform him about the decision of Colombo to abrogate the 2002 Cease Fire Agreement.

According to sources in the Sri Lanka Foreign Office, Mr. Prasad reportedly told the Minister that New Delhi was concerned about the current situation in the island nation and would like to see faster progress on a political package for the resolution of the ethnic conflict.

A few weeks ago, the Minister told Parliament that Sri Lanka had invited Dr. Singh to be the chief guest of the function on February 4 marking the 60th Independence Day.

Read more,
http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/05/stories/2008010556481200.htm

Sri Lanka not looking at February for Indian PM's visit

Sri Lanka said Friday that it was not expecting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to visit the country in February, to be the chief guest at the 6oth independence day celebrations.

'We are not looking at February or any other specific date for the Indian prime minister's visit. What we would like is a bilateral visit by the Indian prime minister in the course of 2008. No Indian prime minister has paid a bilateral visit to Sri Lanka in the last 20 years,' Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told the media here.

Asked if any other date had been fixed if Manmohan Singh was not likely to be in Colombo Feb 4, the country's independence day, the minister said it was for India to come up with dates.

According to diplomatic sources, the Sri Lankan government had invited Singh to be the chief guest at the Feb 4 independence day celebrations. But the Indian government had not taken a decision in the matter.

Read more,
http://www.indiaenews.com/srilanka/20080104/89687.htm

Benazir stood up for democracy, says Sri Lanka

Slain former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto "successfully stood up for democracy", the Sri Lankan government has said describing her assassination as "brutal".

A late night official statement Thursday, hours after she was killed, said the "ugly head of terrorism" had raised itself once again in claiming Bhutto's life.

"This brutal assassination underlines the need for an absolute commitment to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations in order to make it unacceptable in civilized society," it said.

In an interview to the BBC's Sinhalese language service, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said that Sri Lanka would extend support to Pakistan in its efforts to eradicate terrorism.

Former president Chandrika Kumaratunga described Bhutto as a "symbol of democracy and secularism".

"Bhutto was eliminated from the political scene by those who always benefit from war, racism, arms deals, and those who wish to rule by military power," she said.

"May this not happen to anyone else in other countries of the region."

Read more,
http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2007/dec/27/

UNICEF armour plating vehicles a violation of local laws - FM

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama yesterday stated in Parliament that the Ministry informed the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in Sri Lanka that fixing bullet proof plates to a vehicle without approval from the Ministry and Motor Traffic Department is a breach of relevant regulations.

He made this statement in response to the statement made by JVP Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa on the activities of the UNICEF in Sri Lanka.

He also said it constitutes a significant alteration to the vehicle permissible under the Motor Traffic laws of the country. Bogollagama further said: "I have given due consideration to the statements made by Wimal Weerawansa, M.P. in this House over the past few weeks concerning activities of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Sri Lanka.

"I wish to inform this House that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already brought these allegations to the attention of the UN and taken necessary action."

Read more,
http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/12/07/pol03.asp

Manmohan Singh expected to visit Sri Lanka in Feb

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to be the chief guest at the 60th anniversary celebrations of Sri Lanka's independence in February next year.

"The Sri Lankan government had extended an invitation to the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and he has accepted it," a senior Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry official said.

"He will visit Sri Lanka on 4th of February," the official said.

The official, however, said it was not yet finalised whether Singh's visit will be for one day or two days.

Earlier in the day, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told Parliament that Singh will be the chief guest at the 60th anniversary celebrations on February 4.

Extracted from,
http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/CE7EEA3AFEE2A9F5652573A00041CE58?OpenDocument

Mission in Eritrea to isolate LTTE

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on Wednesday moved the Cabinet to approve a Sri Lanka mission in Eritrea, as a precaution against the LTTE claiming Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI).
Political circles are agog with the news that the LTTE might declare UDI by end November and Minister Bogollagama is of the view that Eritrea would recognise them as a separate entity, since they have maintained close links with the LTTE.

It is said that Eritrea has been on the list of main arms suppliers for the LTTE. Eritrea declared independence from Ethiopia in mid 90s.

The Cabinet, looking at the urgency, had approved the proposal on a priority basis.
The government had already delayed the setting up of two other missions in Afghanistan and Madagascar.

Extracted from,
http://www.nation.lk/2007/11/18/news3.htm