By Saman Indrajith

Leader of the House Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told Parliament on Wednesday (25) that no agreement had been signed by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and former UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon on probing alleged war crimes. 

Participating in the third reading stage debate on budget 2021, Minister Gunawardena said Moon had visited Sri Lanka after the end of the war. They had issued a joint statement which was now being dubbed as an agreement, the Minister said.

“The Opposition is doing that purposefully to cover its own wrongs. The yahapalana Foreign Minister sponsored a UN resolution against this country betraying our valiant forces. Those wrongs can never be rectified and people will never forgive them. So, the Opposition is distorting the truth.  We may have political differences, but we must be united in facing international threats. This is something you should learn from other countries.”

Minister Gunawardena said that there were some Opposition politicians who advocated a federal solution and demanded that the government should take India for an example. India became a federal country because at the time of independence, there were principalities in India, the minister said. 

“They had to adopt a federal solution to become a union. It’s the same with the US. When a group of independent states have to come together, the best option for them is a federal structure. That does not suit a country that has been unitary since ancient times. India’s principalities existed for many years, sometimes two decades, after Independence. It was during the times of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1970s the powers of some Maha Rajas were taken over by the Central Government.” 

Minister Gunawardena said that the vision of the government was to achieve a fourfold outcome – a productive citizenry, a contented family, a disciplined and just society and a prosperous nation.  “We are committed to safeguarding sovereignty, independence, national security, territorial integrity, human rights and democracy while ushering in prosperity. It was on this basis that as the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka I spoke before the UN at Geneva February this year and withdrew from a UNHRC resolution against this country.”