Each country must be encouraged to resolve its issues in keeping with the aspirations of its people, and the overriding considerations are those of time, place and circumstance, said External Affairs Minister, Prof. G. L. Peiris.
Prof Peiris, in discussion with Sheikh Dr. Mohommed Sabah Al-Salem Ali-Sabah Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait in Kuwait city on Monday briefed government of Kuwait about Sri Lanka’s achievements and future plans, a ministry release said.
The release said:"Professor G. L. Peiris, Minister of External Affairs, discussed in detail contemporary events in Sri Lanka at a bilateral meeting in Kuwait City this week with Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem AI-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait. He also provided a detailed briefing for Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahamed Al-Sabah, Minister for Amir’s (Ruler’s) Affairs at a meeting in Bayan Palace in Kuwait City.
Both Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, whose Foreign Minister Prof. Peiris met in Abu Dhabi on the previous day, are members of the Gulf Co-operation Council.
Prof. Peiris, commenting on the consistently strong ties between Sri Lanka and Kuwait throughout the forty year period since the establishment of diplomatic relations, said that the quality and depth of the bilateral relationship is indicated by the magnitude of development assistance given to Sri Lanka by the Government of Kuwait through the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED). Sri Lanka has derived immense benefit from implementation of projects under this Fund-principally, irrigation projects in the Southern Province, rehabilitation schemes, construction of bridges, development of Zone C of the Mahaweli Project, rural electrification initiatives and support for the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka. While the current value of projects under the Fund is approximately 150 million U.S. dollars, Prof. Peiris told the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Kuwait that enhanced support for the development of infrastructure is now timely in view of the entirely settled conditions in all parts of the country.
Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al-Salam Al-Sabah appreciated the contribution to the Kuwait economy by about 110,000 Sri Lankan nationals working in Kuwait. Prof. Peiris thanked the Kuwait Government for offering job opportunities for Sri Lankan nurses for the first time. He appreciated, in particular, the decision by the government of Kuwait to grant a general amnesty to Sri Lankan migrant workers who had been in Kuwait without approval.
Minister Peiris expressed Sri Lanka’s vigorous support for the proposals made by the Amir (Ruler) of Kuwait at the inauguration of the Tenth Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue on Monday, for the convening of an Asian Summit next year for the purpose of buttressing Asian identity and an Asian outlook on global issues.
Minister Peiris made emphatic reference to Sri Lanka’s identification with national and cultural interests of Arab nations, and our support for their fullest inclusion in international fora.
He recalled a comment by Judge Owada, President of the International Court of Justice, in his address delivered at the inauguration of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Committee in Colombo earlier this year. Judge Owada had celebrated the growing inclusivity and universality evident in the composition of the World Court, and welcomed especially the increasing number of judges from geographical regions outside the West. Judge Owada went on to add that this was probably one of the reasons why countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America are now making increasing use of the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in resolving their disputes, Prof. Peiris remarked.
Source: The Island, October 15, 2011
