Thursday, 23rd October 2014
CHAMIKARA WEERASINGHE
The government of Sri Lanka will definitely engage with the European Union (EU) regarding the de-proscription of the LTTE, which is still a functional terrorist organization that is having many wings to promote their doctrine of separatism across the globe, even as a Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam in some European countries, said Deputy External Affairs Minister Neomal Perera. "The de-proscription of the LTTE has increased the operational ability of a terrorist group that has killed many local and foreign political leaders, including a Prime Minister of India and a President of Sri Lanka," the deputy minister pointed out.
"Re-proscription of the LTTE is a thing that had to be done by the European Union. They should be sensible enough to put the LTTE on its terrorist blacklist to curtail the potential expansion of terrorist activities inside the European Union, as well as to other countries for the sake of global peace and democracy," he said.
He said so on being asked if the government would engage in talks with the European Union in Sri Lanka regarding the de-proscription of the LTTE now that the ambassadors of EU in Sri Lanka have indicated their willingness to engage with the government of Sri Lanka regarding re-proscription of the LTTE.
"By annulling the EU regulations proscribing the LTTE, the European Court of Justice has exposed the world to the risk of LTTE terrorism, including the European countries where LTTE activists are living in large numbers and their activities are gathering momentum," he pointed out.
"No one can deny that the LTTE is an operational terrorist organization. It has many wings and factions to collect funds. They have done so in the past. They have procured weapons, set off bombs killing innocent children, women and men," he added.
"The EU will have to prevent the diversification of the terrorist activities of the LTTE to avoid serious consequences that will be the result of the de-proscription of the group," he explained.
Asked about the EU's decision to ban imports of fisheries products from Sri Lanka, Minister Perera said, that it was due to some technicalities associated with the process of fish exports concerned.
"The matter is being looked into by the Ministry of Fisheries. It will be be settled once the required conditions have been fulfilled," he added.
From : http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=local/govt-will-engage-eu-regarding-ltte-de-proscription-neomal
