අමාත්‍යාංශයේ මාධ්‍ය නිවේදන

Media Statement

Comments at the daily press briefing of the US Department of State made by its Spokesperson on 2nd October 2014, with regard to a report from a Sri Lanka newspaper stating that the “US stance on Sri Lanka softens”, have been noted.

In this context, the Ministry of External Affairs wishes to clarify that the Government of Sri Lanka did not issue a press statement or comment on the meeting which took place between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the US Secretary of State John Kerry on the margins of the on-going UNGA. Any reference in the media to the contents of this discussion are of a speculative nature and does not in any way reflect the view of the Government of Sri Lanka. In fact, reference to this meeting has been published in the schedule of State Secretary Kerry, which is in the public domain.

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President Rajapaksa calls for the de-politicisation of the UN system

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Charging that human rights are being used as a tool to implement motivated agendas with no understanding or appreciation of the complexity of issues in the countries concerned, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has made an appeal for the de-politicisation of the UN system.

President Rajapaksa made this call when he addressed the 69th United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday 24th September 2014. This is the seventh occasion that the President has addressed the General Assembly.

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Dangers posed by climate change must be addressed collectively – President Rajapaksa

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President Mahinda Rajapaksa has called on the international community to address the dangers posed by climate change collectively. Addressing over 100 other world leaders on Tuesday, 23rd September 2014, while participating in the United Nations Summit on Climate Change, in New York, the President highlighted that principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities should guide the search for common solutions to issues related to climate change. Sri Lanka ratified the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1993 and acceded to the Kyoto Protocol in 2002.

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Sri Lanka will not help legitimize a flawed process that could set dangerous precedent by cooperating with the OHCHR investigation

Responding to the ‘Oral Update’ on Sri Lanka by the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva today (25 September 2014), Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha  said “the Government of Sri Lanka does not wish to help legitimize a flawed process and have a detrimental precedents established”, and hence “has to respectfully refuse those who urge that Sri Lanka cooperate with the OHCHR investigation.”  

He said this position has been taken after much consideration and represents not only the will of the Sri Lankan people as reflected in the motion recently adopted in the Parliament with an overwhelming majority, but also the majority within the Human Rights Council, who refused to support Operational Paragraph 10 of HRC resolution 25/1 which created an OHCHR investigation on Sri Lanka in March 2014.

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