PM's
visit to the US generates goodwill
I wondered as to whether the PM's recent visit to the US would
be a repeat of what went before when much was expected but little
realized. I speculated as to whether the visit would result in tangible
benefits to Lanka. From the information that is now available it is
now evident that the PM has indeed done us proud. He has exceeded
all expectations. Obtaining an appointment itself could not have been
easy because the President's schedule is invariably full and planned
months in advance, with allowance being made for crisis situations.
Furthermore the PM is not the executive head of government. This visit
would no doubt have come about because of Minister Moragoda's influence
in Washington and also due to the indefatigable efforts of the US
Ambassador Ashley Wills,
There are certain
measurements by which we judge the success or failure of any visit
whether it be a State visit, an official visit or a 'working visit',
which this was, in the immediate aftermath of one. As a recent editorial
in another newspaper pointed out, "we must translate the assurances
into reality" and that would be over a period of time but we
can nevertheless say at this point of time whether the visit was
productive, unproductive or even counter-productive.
What were the
PM's aims as indicated by him/? They were in the first instance
to strengthen the relationship between our two countries. This was
the first visit by a Lankan leader in 18 years and we have had no
visits from American leaders to this country either. That certainly
says it all on the state of our relations. High on the PM's priorities
would no doubt have been the strengthening of the country's security.
Perhaps a unique feature of our approach to the peace process this
time around has been the diplomatic offensive to line up the international
community and particularly those countries that matter for the resolution
of our problem, behind the government.
This the PM
and Minister Moragoda have done most skillfully. They appear to
have unfurled a security umbrella over the country. Never before
has the LTTE faced such a situation.
The meetings
with the Secretary of State Colin Powell at the State Department
and the National Security Advisor Condolesa Rice, across from the
Oval Office, would also have been most valuable. The geo-strategic
situation on the sub-continent has changed with the emergence of
regional nuclear powers. There is no doubt that US interests in
oil rich Central Asia are affected. She has to formulate a new policy
towards South Asia. And it is in this context that the US would
need long term allies. The threat of Terrorism and the targeting
of US interests world over, would also require a stronger US presence
in the region. There could always be some convergence of interests.
No doubt these factors would have been discussed.
On this visit
the PM and Minister Moragoda may not have been able to wrap up the
Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) but they, from
reports coming out of Washington, seem to have certainly laid the
foundation for greater diplomatic and military support for the resolution
of the problem. In fact it may not be necessary for us to have any
formal agreement such as ACSA to either service the ships of the
US Navy if they wish to call at our ports or if the need arises
for us to acquire any weapons from the US. A formal agreement would
of course have its advantages but not having one should not be a
hindrance to securing the means for our country's defence. This
time around the LTTE will not be able on any excuse to return to
war without inflicting on itself grievous consequences. The PM has
stated "The security net of international cooperation will
protect the country". If the LTTE returns to war it may become
obvious to the Tamil people in particular that a change of leadership
in the LTTE, as recently suggested by Nirupama Subramanian, may
be the only way to end the war. I must here refer to an important
fact, namely that our 'very local' and insular bureaucrats and politicians
do not understand the importance of close relations with the US.
I recall that in 1996 I was instrumental in
bringing to
Sri Lanka a military training organization from the UIS, one of
the best in the world, the MPRI. Our MOD buffoons and the very insular
politicians, and some steeped in anti-American prejudice, shot the
initiative down. They also shot down a proposal to train our forces
in Intelligence work and last but not least they shot down an offer
for 'high resolution imaging", one man in the system wanted
to know whether it was imagining! They did not appreciate the fact
that had we an American organization, with the reputation of MPRI
assisting us, all doors would have been open to us in Washington
DC. Thousands have died because of the buffoonery of the MOD and
our so called National Security Council. I do hope that if such
an opportunity is afforded us after the visit of the PM we would
grab it with alacrity and not say "we know more about training
for our war than any American". There are many who are vested
with decision making power in our governmental structure who have
the attitude of the Gomarankadawela DRO, perhaps even he may be
more enlightened.
The decision
to send Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage to Lanka to make
an assessment of the situation here is a significant one. It is
also a signal to the LTTE, which is suspected of being involved
in international terrorism. The visit of Mr. Armitage would also
send a message to the political parties in the south that enough
is enough and that the international community has suffered our
"dirty war" for far too long. They demand that the political
parties in the south reach a consensus to enable the achievement
of a durable peace. A fact often forgotten is that the international
community has not and will not give us a blank cheque. They are
convinced that the rights of Tamil people must be conceded within
a unitary state. They wish to see a fair and just solution, which
would allow the Tamil people to live in peace with dignity, in security
as equal citizens, deciding on their own destiny to the furthest
possible extent consistent with the security of the other communities
inhabiting this country. .
The PM has
stated that besides security assistance development aid is to be
increased. In this regard it would be of interest to recall that
after the 1977 elections the US AID office in Colombo, which had
a staff of perhaps fifteen till then, including Sri Lankans increased
to exponentially, to over one hundred Americans. This was perhaps
because the US has understandably been more comfortable with the
UNP than with our Socialists. I have no doubt that the US aid Mission
here would be strengthened in the months to come.
Another important
achievement during this visit was the signing of the Trade and Investment
Framework Agreement between our two countries. It is indeed significant
that the PM and Minister Moragoda had an unusually long meeting
with the US Trade Representative Bob Zellick, the most important
official in the US administration in charge of Trade and his Deputy.
It was the first such meeting in a decade. The TIFA is a framework
agreement, a mechanism which would, if properly exploited could
lead us to a Free Trade Agreement. The TIFA could also herald the
beginning of a new era of cooperation between Sri Lanka and the
US in the WTO. (Incidentally I am reliably informed that the US
is averse to discussing FTAs at the present time, that is until
the Doha Round negotiations are completed ). The US is expected
to send a high level team to Lanka to examine possibilities for
greater co-operation in Trade and Investment.
The PM in addition
to meeting the important officials of the US government had been
invited to an important breakfast meeting with a group of leading
Senators, an honour not extended to every visiting dignitary. The
Senate has also tabled a bipartisan resolution supporting the peace
process in Sri Lanka. Quite unprecedented. The PM has also spoken
at the Woodrow Wilson Centre and at the Washington Press Club. It
must be mentioned here that the press coverage in the US itself
has been unprecedented with Editorials in the prestigious Washington
Post, the Washington Times and 'Op Ed' page reports in the prestigious
New York Times and other papers., The Mission should be complimented
for the publicity obtained in the US, but it must be here stated
that no Editor and certainly not the Editors of the New York Times,
the Washington Post or the Washington Times would publish particularly
on its front page and editorialize unless the event or the personality
was significant to the US
The PM has
also been given assurances of support by the IMF and the World Bank.
Whilst such assurances of support are indeed valuable, I sincerely
hope that their so called economic reform or Structural Adjustment
programme will not further exacerbate the poverty gap in the country
and set us up for easy JVP picking. I hope we would not unthinkingly
follow IMF recipes which have led many a country into disaster.
In this regard we should take a page out of Mahathir book of self-prescribed
painful remedies, not remedies imposed by the IMF unless they are
prepared to assume responsibility in the event of the failure of
their remedies..
To say that
the PM's mission appears to have been a resounding success at this
point of time, seems an understatement. Minister Moragoda had described
the visit as "a working visit to explore possibilities and
opportunities". Well it does seem that more opportunities than
ever have been opened for us. It is now left to us to follow up
and use 'the possibilities and opportunities'. An Editorial in a
daily captioned "Translating US assurances into reality"
stated, what is called for now is to translate the goodwill generated
from the visit into substantial benefits for Sri Lanka. The ball
is now in our court, hope we will not play 'pandu' with it.
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