Dinesh insists SL is neutral, non-aligned

By Shamindra Ferdinando

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo yesterday (28) side-stepped a query whether the government of Sri Lanka had requested him to reconsider the travel ban imposed on Army Chief Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva on the basis of unsubstantiated and unverified war crimes allegations.

The US in February this year slapped a travel ban on wartime GoC of the celebrated 58 Division and his family on the basis of the Geneva Resolution, co-sponsored by the previous yahapalana administration in Oct 2015.

The media raised the issue at the Foreign Ministry after Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Secretary of State Pompeo addressed the press.

Earlier in the day, Pompeo met President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat. Among those present on both occasions was one-time Foreign Secretary Ravintha Aryasinha named the next Sri Lankan Ambassador in Washington.

Asked for comment on the current status of the US action against Lt. Gen. Silva, Pompeo, the one-time head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) said: “It is a legal process in the US. We always continue to review it. We want to make sure; we get it technically, factually and legally right.”

Pompeo functioned as CIA Director from January 2017 to April 2018 before he received appointment as Secretary of State. The US quit the Geneva-based UNHRC two months after Pompeo took over the State Department.

Pompeo launched a scathing attack on China when the local media asked whether the US was seeking to neutralise growing Chinese influence here by way of MCC (Millennium Challenge Corporation), SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) as well as strategy adopted by US-India-Japan-Australia quartet as part of the overall strategy to counter Beijing. Pompeo was also asked what he was trying to accomplish here just days ahead of the US presidential election.

Former President Maithripala Sirisena authorized signing of ACSA (Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement) in early August 2017.

Pompeo emphasized that the US wanted Sri Lankans to have sovereignty and independence. Reiterating their commitment as a friend and partner, Pompeo said as democracies they shared a vision. Declaring that he was here to explore ways and means of taking the US-Sri Lanka relationship forward, Pompeo said: “We want to make sure the people of Sri Lanka have the capacity to execute their sovereign rights to remain independent.”

Comparing the Chinese policies with those of the US and other democracies, such as India, Pompeo alleged that the Chinese had a ‘very different vision’.

The US-based media accompanying the Secretary of State asked Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena whether Sri Lanka welcomed further enhancement of US presence in the region. Sri Lanka’s response was sought against the backdrop of growing Chinese influence in the region. Minister Gunawardena, having emphasized the importance of US-Sri Lanka relations reiterated: “We are a neutral, non-aligned country committed to peace. On that principle, we continue our relations with the US and other countries.”

Minister Gunawardena, in his opening address at the joint press event, made reference to the US Secretary of State being in Colombo the day before the countries celebrated the establishment of diplomatic ties 72 years ago.

Minister Gunawardena said: “As a sovereign, free, independent nation Sri Lanka’s foreign policy will remain neutral, non-aligned and friendly. Conscious of the opportunities and responsibilities that come with our strategic location, we see the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation in our seas and air space also protecting sea lines of communication and the undersea cables. We believe all countries should adhere to and respect international law, including the UN Convention on Law of the Sea [UNCLOS]. We share views on the potential multifaceted maritime cooperation which Sri Lanka is keen to progress.”