Government’s moves to re-establish diplomatic relations with Israel will now be delayed indefinitely.
If peace initiatives between Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Israelis prompted the move, it has now been stalled.
This follows a decision by Non-Aligned Foreign Ministers who met in New Delhi for member countries to freeze relations with Israel at their current level.
Insiders say that President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga raised with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat the question of establishing diplomatic relations with Israel when he visited Sri Lanka last month.
United States has declared last week that it has “noticed a troubling deterioration in the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.”
The US position was declared last Thursday at the 53rd session of the UN Commission on Human Rights by Ms Nancy Rubin, head of the American delegation.
This is what she declared, “Of particular concern are the unsolved disappearances of more than 700 persons in Jaffna and the slow progress made by the Government in prosecuting security forces personnel implicated in human rights abuses.“
“We are also troubled by the continuing failure of the armed forces and the LTTE insurgents (Note: the identity - insurgents and not terrorists) to capture POWs in numbers commensurate with the scale of the conflict, since it suggests that both sides have adopted a ‘take no prisoners’ policy, we call upon the Government and the LTTE, therefore, to observe international humanitarian norms.”
Needless to say a Government response will follow.
The DIG, known for
throwing caution to the winds, was at it again.
A subordinate officer was on the line pleading with him not to entertain the beautiful high society lady if she came to him with a complaint.
The officer said he had detected her for possessing a firearm without a valid licence.
The beauty not only claimed she received approval from a top bureaucrat to possess the weapon, but boasted of top political connections.
“I will only take a good look at her if she comes to me,” replied the DIG. Then came the startling words of caution “She is the mistress of Minister...... Be careful Putha. If it misfires, you will make headlines.”
It was a telephone cross connection that gave the show away.
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