Columns

• President meets more world leaders and makes more friends at 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly
• Reconciliation process based on respect for indigenous thinking essential to and accepted by the people of Sri Lanka

By Our Political Editor, at the United Nations in New York

President Maithripala Sirisena addresses the UN General Assembly

On the first visit after assuming the mantle of Presidency, Maithripala Sirisena came here to make friends with world leaders and deliver a message — that Sri Lankans have placed their confidence in the new Government under his leadership.
This week, he came again to New York, to renew old friendships and make new ones. For a man of humble beginnings in the outbacks of Polonnaruwa, the simplicity he exuded was in marked contrast to the pomp, pageantry and sometimes even the lordly arrogance that goes with high office.

When the Emirates flight from Colombo touched down at the Dubai International Airport, he was polite enough not to alight quickly. He obliged requests for selfies (or wefies) from some passengers who were with him in Business Class. Mobile phone cameras and those with iPads clicked.

Escorted by men of the Presidential Security Division (PSD), he walked down the stairway of the ‘air bridge’ to board a limousine waiting on the ramp. One would have thought he was being driven to the VIP Lounge. He was instead driven to a doorway from where he entered the Business Class Lounge. There he sat at the head of a table surrounded by some Ministers and the media until the Dubai-New York flight on an Emirates Airbus A 380 was called.

Concerns had already been raised even before President Sirisena and his entourage left Colombo. On the screens of the high definition televisions on the wall at the VIP Lounge of the Bandaranaike International Airport, CNN footage of bomb explosions in New York was playing out. Twenty nine people were injured on Saturday when a bomb exploded in the Chelsea neighbourhood of Manhattan, very much a heart of this city that never sleeps. Another made with a pressure cooker, a mobile phone and decoration lights failed to explode. The one that exploded and the one that did not had contained steel ball bearings.

Secret Service men were on hand at the John F. Kennedy International Airport. They whisked away Sirisena and party to the Loews Regency along Park Avenue.There was a new experience for the presidential entourage as well as the media who were booked in there. Ahead of dawn Monday, the US mobile phones issued to them, sounded a loud alarm that was distinctly different from their usual ringing tones. Most mistook it to be their bedside alarm, perhaps not deactivated by the previous occupant. That was not to be. This was a unique system the New York Police Department (NYPD) had evolved with all mobile phone operators.

The alarm was accompanied by an SMS. They had identified the bomber and were seeking public help to arrest him. Within hours, 28-year-old Ahmad Khan Rahami, was caught. He now stands charged with use of weapons of mass destruction, bombing a place of public use and other offences.

The Sri Lanka delegation listening to the President's speech at the UNGA

“Balanna oya minihawa ochchara ikmanta andura gaththe heti. Egollange thakshanaya etharam diyunui (See how they identified this man so soon. Their technology is so advanced here),” remarked Sirisena when he hosted a lunch for the media accompanying him on Monday at an Indian restaurant.

A waiter mistakenly laid a plate of tandoori chicken, lamb, mutton and fish as a starter for Sirisena. He asked that it be taken away. He questioned his Television Director Chamuditha Samarawickrema what had gone wrong. The latter ensured that a plate of tandoori vegetables was served. The President was in a humourous mood. When the service at the restaurant was painfully slow, he said laughingly that was how drunken customers who were impatient would crack plates or smash chairs on the ground when the food ordered was delayed.

That Sirisena had made friends was evident during his visits. He attended the plenary sessions of the Clinton Global Initiative at the Sheraton in Times Square. After meeting Sirisena, outgoing United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, issuing a statement, said he highly appreciated President Sirisena’s total commitment to good governance and reconciliation.
Ban conveyed his gratitude to the Government of Sri Lanka and the President for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to him when he visited Sri Lanka recently.

Sirisena commended the great service rendered by Ban to Sri Lanka, the UN and the entire world and said he highly valued the service rendered by Ban to the ratification of the Paris Convention on Climate Change. He also thanked the UN and the organisations affiliated to it for the assistance given by them to Sri Lanka.

President Sirisena handing over to Ban the ratified Paris Agreement on Climate Change

There was some confusion over a meeting that was scheduled with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. The room booked for this bi-lateral meeting had been otherwise let out. So Sirisena and Turnbull had their ‘bilateral’ talks standing. Later, the Sri Lankan President introduced the Ministers to the Australian PM. After shaking hands with Ports and Shipping Minister Arjuna Ranatunga, Turnbull remarked, “Oh, you are the cricketer. I am sure you are applying your cricketing expertise in your new role as Minister.”

In another bilateral meeting, India’s Deputy Foreign Minister M.J. Akbar briefed Sirisena on the recent crisis in Kashmir. The developments there have prevented Indian Premier Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj from attending the UNGA session. Akbar accused Pakistan of fomenting terrorism on the border.

According to a Reuter report, for all the shrill rhetoric immediately following last Sunday’s attack on an Indian army camp in Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan, the threat of a sudden escalation in hostilities between the nuclear-armed rivals has receded for now.

Two days after 18 Indian soldiers were killed, in the biggest blow to security forces in the disputed Himalayan region for 14 years, some officials called for a measured response and plotted a diplomatic offensive to increase pressure on Pakistan.
India’s Federal Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said there was a deep sense of outrage about the attack in the border town of Uri, and that patience with Pakistan was wearing thin.

But he added: “Whatever decisions the government takes in this regard will be done with full diplomatic and strategic maturity.” Prasad also warned against loose talk of conducting cross-border strikes.

Pakistan has dismissed Indian allegations of involvement in the Uri attack, saying the administration of Prime Minister Modi had apportioned blame even before the investigation was complete.

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday tweeted that “Pakistan is a terrorist state.”
Later, President Sirisena was to hear Pakistan’s side of the story from its Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff, who charged that it was India that was encouraging terrorism against Pakistan.

President Sirisena with Barack and Michelle Obama. It may be their last meeting before Obama's term ends in January next year.

Shariff was seated at the same table with Sirisena at Tuesday night’s reception given for heads of state and governments by the United States President Barrack Obama. At one point, Obama walked up to Sirisena’s table. “Sri Lanka is doing well. We must support you,” he said after shaking hands with Sirisena. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nodded in agreement.

There was some confusion among the local media over conflicting reports about President Sirisena’s remarks on the Kashmir crisis. Whilst most accounts spoke about the Sri Lanka President having condemned the attack on the Indian Army camp and expressed sympathy for the victims, there were other accounts that claimed he had made similar sentiments to Pakistan Premier Shariff. Sirisena did telephone Indian Premier Modi from here on learning of the incidents in Kashmir. He later told Foreign Ministry officials remarks attributed to him concerning his meeting with Premier Shariff were wrong.

There was also good news for Sirisena on the economic front. Dana J. Hyde, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Millennium Challenge Corporation called on him at his hotel which is also playing host to two other heads of state.

She said that the Corporation would extend financial support to the tune of US$ 792 million. The Corporation had suspended all assistance to Sri Lanka in September 2006 after alleged human rights abuses. This had included the alleged killings of a group of students and aid workers in two separate incidents in Trincomalee.

Sirisena also learnt from Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera that Sweden would soon re-open its diplomatic mission in Colombo. This has been conveyed to him during talks with Swedish Foreign Minister Margaret Wallstrom. Samaraweera also had a separate meeting with Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Samaraweera also learnt from UN Peace Keeping officials that there would be a slight delay in the deployment of Sri Lankan troops (Army) in Mali. The UN has asked that Sri Lanka acquire military and other equipment for use. The cost incurred would be reimbursed by the UN thereafter.

Ahead of the highlight of his visit, the address to the UN General Assembly, Sirisena met US Secretary of State John Kerry. He reassured the United States’fullest support to Sri Lanka. Another meeting of some interest was with a one-time “terrorist” leader, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda. He is now the democratically elected Prime Minister of Nepal.

Addressing the General Assembly in a brief speech in Sinhala, Sirisena said that for the last twenty months, he had given the leadership to usher a new era of social, political and economic transformation in Sri Lanka. He said:

“Before I came to power, people in my country were living in fear and suspicion. I could end that period and lay the foundation for strengthening the rule of law and restoring democratic rights for the people of Sri Lanka to live happily in a free and democratic society.
“My government’s intention is to make the people of Sri Lanka one of the happiest among the world communities. For that purpose, the Government is committed to strengthening freedom and democracy, while achieving economic prosperity. The Government is committed to make Sri Lanka a developed nation.

“Poverty is a global challenge. I am determined to alleviate poverty in my country. I have declared 2017 as the Year of ‘Alleviation of Poverty’ in Sri Lanka. I have given the lead to creating the basic platform for the people to free themselves from poverty in a county that prioritises economic progress”.

Sirisena then went on to speak of the UN’s Sustainable Development Agenda and said it upheld the guiding principles for all nations and institutions led by the United Nations in bringing about economic, social and environmental transformations to make the world a better place.

“In that, we have identified that economic development plays a key role, while environmental sustainability, specially the Paris Agreement, which, the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon initiated, will remain a main pillar in our endeavor to bring about the necessary changes in the country,” he said.

“In many parts of the world, we see the unfortunate proliferation of anger, hatred, and brutality. I believe that the contemporary society is experiencing a crisis of morality. I believe that all states should pay heed to the cry for moral values. I believe that every society must dedicate itself to raise its share of positive moral values,” Sirisena said and added that Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country, where Theravada Buddhism is practised.

“The Buddha’s teachings help us find solutions to many of the burning issues of the contemporary world. Similarly, I am sure the wisdom offered by the great world religions such as Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and others can help us today. As such, I am of the view that we, as states, can strengthen and foster those religions and philosophies that help us look inward”, he said.

The President said the “menace of narcotics drugs and intoxicants” has beset societies including the youth and the school children. He urged the world community, the United Nations and all the states to commit themselves to fight illegal drug operations collectively and individually through a robust international programme more organised and stronger than now.

“On the domestic front, my Government has taken effective measures to strengthen democracy, the rule of law and good governance, paving the way for a positive change to ensure that there will be no more wars in my country, Sri Lanka. The reconciliation process underway today has learnt from the bitter experience of a brutal war of three decades. It will guarantee that my country will not see the cruelty of war and terrorism again and that all communities will live peacefully in a rational and a free-thinking Sri Lanka. For this noble purpose, Sri Lanka welcomes the collaboration and the blessings of the world,” he said.

Sirisena said that Sri Lanka, being a free, independent and a sovereign nation with territorial integrity, like all other nations, would find its own recipe for the reconciliation process and necessary transformation and reform respecting the indigenous thinking that was essential to and accepted by the people of Sri Lanka. “Sri Lanka will adhere to a social democratic policy, and work closely with the world towards the progress to prosperity and wisdom along with the rest of the world. After a war that traumatized the nation for three decades, we have started the journey towards reconciliation and lasting peace.

“However, we are in no hurry. We trod each wise step with care, vigilance, patience and persistence. My beloved Sri Lanka has big dreams. I look forward to your blessings and collaboration to accomplish them,” he said.

Thanking the United Nations and its officials for the support they give to Sri Lanka, he acknowledged the contribution made by the outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to foster international development, strengthen democracy and human rights.
In conclusion, he said; “I emphasise my commitment to empower our youth with the best knowledge in the world and to make Sri Lanka an exemplary democracy in the world. My Government will fulfil its responsibilities towards the people and I seek your assistance and blessings in this noble endeavor.”

President Sirisena’s visit is a successful one. Many world leaders congratulated him for following a consistent political agenda, declared Foreign Minister Samaraweera. They were happy with his effort towards a green environment and a blue economy, he said.

The colours also have another connotations. Green is the colour of the United National Party (UNP) and blue the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP).