Sri Lanka President returns after successful tour

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Published on Tuesday, 27 September 2011 11:10

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President Mahinda Rajapaksa returned to the island today (September 27) after successfully completing his tour to the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly held in New York, USA.

During the visit, President Rajapaksa met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Indian Premier Manmohan Singh, Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Iranian President Mohamoud Ahmadinejad, Nepalese Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Columbian President Juan Manuel Santos Calderon, Slovenian President Dr. Danilo Türk, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, Kirgizstani President Roza Otunbayeva, Ugandan President Y. K. Museveni and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

President Rajapaksa held a very productive discussion with the UN Secretary General where he said that the Government was taking every action to prevent terrorism from raising it head again.

During this meeting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was reminded of the assurance he gave President Mahinda Rajapaksa almost one year ago, that the Darusman Panel had been appointed solely to advice the UN Secretary General on developments in Sri Lanka in the final stages of the operation to defeat the LTTE and the immediate post-conflict situation, and would in no way be engaged in carrying out any inquiry or investigation into the relevant situation in Sri Lanka.

Addressing the UN General Assembly, President Rajapaksa stated that “I am deeply mindful … that the battle for peace is every bit as important and difficult as the struggle against terror. After the eradication of terrorism, my government has turned its undivided attention to building a new, the foundations of a unified and vibrant nation and drawing upon the inherent strengths of our country and in particular, the unique caliber of our human potential”.

“The most significant challenge to stability and progress in the modern world is posed by the menace of terrorism. Recent experience the world over amply demonstrates that inconsistent standards and discriminating approaches can unintentionally give a fresh lease of life to the forces of terror. An explicit and uniform response, which refuses to recognize political shades of terrorism, is necessarily required,” he further said.

The President held fruitful talks with the Indian Premier Manmohan Singh, where they focused attention on many bilateral topics that are of regional and international significance.

In the meantime, he also met with Indian diplomat and Commonwealth Secretary-General Mr. Kamalesh Sharma. President Mahinda Rajapaksa also attended 2011 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in New York on September 20. Former President Clinton warmly received President Rajapaksa and thanked Sri Lanka for the cooperation extended in forming the CGI.

Posted By Sameera Chathuranga

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