{"id":108015,"date":"2020-10-25T16:25:51","date_gmt":"2020-10-25T23:25:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=108015"},"modified":"2020-10-25T16:25:51","modified_gmt":"2020-10-25T23:25:51","slug":"us-secretary-of-state-pompeo-vs-sri-lanka-administration-smart-moves-could-provide-the-best-outcome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/10\/25\/us-secretary-of-state-pompeo-vs-sri-lanka-administration-smart-moves-could-provide-the-best-outcome\/","title":{"rendered":"US Secretary of State Pompeo vs Sri Lanka Administration – Smart moves could provide the best outcome."},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Chula Rajapakse MNZM Wellington , NZ<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

The US Secretary of State Pompeo\u2019s visit  takes the pressure on the SL govt to an\nunprecedented level to sign the SOFA & MCC agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pompeo\u2019s bargaining chips are not only the $480 million\ngrant associated with the MCC agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also include US being SL\u2019s biggest export market\nwhere nearly 30% of it\u2019s exports enter at a a concessionary tariff , allowed\nfor by the BSP provisions that come up for renewal in a few weeks. Risking\nthese , especially now with the economic havoc caused by Covid could not be\nlooked at too lightly by SL negotiators  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

US also has the capacity to apply pressure on SL through\ninternational organisations as they did in the UNHCR using the TigerSong\nsheets. In this context, it is an achievement for SL that, now the US is talking\ndirectly to SL with their top diplomat actually making the long trip, using\nmore conciliatory tones to do so..An understanding on this and control of Tiger\nDiaspora could be an useful aspiration for SL negotiators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SL badly needs investors for their flagship developments\n, the Colombo Port City and Hambantota Free trade zone. There would be no\nbetter a source for such investments than from US companies. A nod from the US\ngovernment would be a strong encouragement \nfor not only US corporations  but\nalso other western industry  and iT\nindustry  to respond to SL\u2019s\ninvestment  invitation and need. Another\npossible aspiration for the SL negotiators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trincomalee harbour is a totally under exploited economic\npotential. With Diego Garcia gone ,there would be no better place than this for\nthe US Pacific fleet. Having a US fleet occupy the empty waters of a section of\nthe Trincomalee harbour for a price, with adequate protections must surely be a\nmouth watering prospect for cash strapped SL. \nThe potential for development of the region that would follow is mind\nboggling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 JRJ in the 1980\u2019s\nbent over backwards to get US interested in SL. \nHis overtures only fell on deaf ears. Now tables have turned and it is\nup to  SL to make the moves to secure\nbest outcomes for SL..<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The  most\nobjectionable bits of the MCC and SOFA, even as decided by the govt commission\nwho inquired into it  are the US boots on\nSL soil being above it\u2019s law and the potential sale of SL real estate for\nforeign buyers , on a large scale. Also , there is the issue of a foreign\ncorridor in the middle of the country\u201d . \nCould these be up for negotiation. Besides , don\u2019t forget any Sri Lankan\nwith the cash could invest in US real estate without any limitation.Also , an\nexpressway from Colombo to Trincomalee would also be mouthwatering to Sri\nLanka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is the smarter thing to look a gift horse in it\u2019s mouth\nor look at it without the objectionable bits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Could the leaders that won the unwindable war , win this\none too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best wishes to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Chula Rajapakse MNZM<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wellington , NZ=<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Chula Rajapakse MNZM Wellington , NZ The US Secretary of State Pompeo\u2019s visit  takes the pressure on the SL govt to an unprecedented level to sign the SOFA & MCC agreement. Pompeo\u2019s bargaining chips are not only the $480 million grant associated with the MCC agreement. They also include US being SL\u2019s biggest export […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-108015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108015\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}