Sri Lanka news

External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris made a strong case against the inclusion of Sri Lanka as an agenda item at the meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) which is scheduled to be held in London in April.

The minister said such a course of action is contrary to the decisions taken by the Commonwealth Heads of Government at their meeting in Perth, Western Australia in October 2011 regarding the mandate of CMAG and the scope of its functions.

External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris with Commonwealth Secretary- General Kamalesh Sharma in London on Tuesday

He expressed these sentiments at discussions with Commonwealth Secretary- General Kamalesh Sharma in London on Tuesday with the upcoming meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Government in Sri Lanka in November this year.

Prof Peiris, who described to the Secretary-General the developments in Sri Lanka during the last few months, emphasised the crucial need to preserve the essential character of the Commonwealth as a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-voluntary association of sovereign states, characterised by a striking diversity of cultures and outlook among the 54 states comprising the organisationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

He said any attempt to politicise the organisation or to permit its structures and mechanisms to be used as instruments by some countries to interfere in the domestic issues of other countries, would inevitably distort the cultural ethos of the Commonwealth and pose significant challenges with regard to its future.

Minister Peiris briefed the Secretary-General in detail about the arrangements being made by the government to host the main conference in Colombo as well as the Commonwealth Business Forum, the PeopleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Forum and the Youth Forum which will be held in Hambantota.

Secretary- General Sharma told the minister that he was looking forward to his visit to Sri Lanka and he was pleased with the arrangements under way for the meeting of the heads of government.

He expressed satisfaction about Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s dialogue with Dr Mohan Kaul regarding the Business Council which involves a focus on Sri Lanka not only as a destination for investment but also as a trading and knowledge hub. Prof Peiris briefed Sharma about the discussions which he held in New Delhi last month regarding the summit, and in particular about Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s support for the Secretary-GeneralƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s proposal with regard to the establishment of a Commonwealth Bank for Trade and Investment. Secretary-General Sharma was also briefed about the recent visits to Sri Lanka by AustraliaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Robert Carr and AustraliaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. Prof Peiris said Australia was sharing with Sri Lanka the experience it had gained from successfully organising the last meeting of the Heads of Government less than two years ago and that this collaboration was greatly appreciated by Sri Lanka.