Thursday Sep 19, 2024
Thursday Sep 19, 2024
Saturday, 1 November 2014 02:15 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
One notable incident which drew global media attention was the bugging of the US Embassy in Moscow and the method adopted was introducing the ‘honey trap’ – undercover female workers – who befriended US marines guarding the Embassy so that KGB could gain access to premises (ref: ‘Moscow Station, How the KGB Penetrated the American Embassy’ by Ronald Kessler). The Geneva incident has similar resonance but could be an eye-opener for the Ministry of External Affairs for future diplomatic manoeuvring not only in Geneva but in other aspects too.
There have been allegations that expenses have been incurred in violation of the administrative and financial procedure and that a civil construction contract had been awarded to a contractor with a dubious track record with implications for Sri Lanka’s national security. The pertinent question that must be answered is whether the diplomatic premises had indeed been bugged by LTTE operatives in Switzerland, as alleged by Tamara Kunanayagam, former Permanent Representative to Geneva.
The motive for such a clandestine operation would have been to listen to the advance preparations by the Sri Lankan team defending Sri Lanka before UNHCR. As Dayan Jayatilleka rightly said, the ‘hot war’ is over and we now have to pursue a ‘cold war’ between separatists forces and the Government of Sri Lanka (ref: YouTube ‘Bakeer Markar oration’).
The cold war
The Government is not properly geared to face the cold war as it requires people who are well-versed in international relations, communications, public diplomacy and strategic communications. There is a massive anti- Government propaganda being unleashed in the Western media. We h
ad a non-career but highly qualified corp of diplomats of the calibre of Dayan Jayatilleka, Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, Tamara Kunanayagam, and of course Chris Nonis, who have all been ousted for reasons unknown to the general public but best known to the decision makers.
Rajiva Wijesinha was able to stump the Al Jazeera anchor who was hammering the Government with accusations of human rights violations in the backdrop of the Channel-4 revelations. He confronted the issue with his proficiency in language unique to diplomacy and was able to demolish the arguments. It was also so with Nonis’s encounter with CNN.
Jayatilleka seems to have been removed on the advice of the Government of Israel. It is not clear as to what prompted Israel to demand his removal and whether the Government could have warned Jayatilleka to tone down his anti-Israel rhetoric, if that had indeed been the case. After all Israel helped the Government in the war against terrorism and deserves some reciprocity.
There was also a tactical faux pas when the Government fielded Jayatilleka to counter human rights violations by the US, when US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher visited Sri Lanka (Sunday Times, 20 May 2007). The Government should have avoided unnecessarily verbal duels with Richard Boucher by highlighting human rights violations by the US when the US system of governance is clearly a far cry from the way the Government is run.
This was rather a matter for Republicans who could have taken Democrats in power to the task, as was the US Supreme Court. The US Supreme Court has reprimanded the US Administration for having breached the constitutional rights of individuals over draconian anti-terror laws and operations. This shows that the US political process is having strong checks and balances hence the US does not require any lessons from a country like Sri Lanka where political process and judicial independence have been called into question by alert citizens.
JVP accuses the Government
The JVP accuses the Government of employing cronies for key diplomatic positions, some with educational qualifications and some with qualifications considered as being ‘close to ruling classes’.
There are press reports that the Government has retained the services of lobbyists in Washington and in London. Hiring lobbyists per se does not warrant criticism as the US political process is entirely different and it requires extensive lobbying unlike in other countries. Even foreign governments, organisations and multinational companies have hired lobbyists in Washington DC to get across their messages and agendas.
The Government of Israel is having a permanent organisation in Washington exclusively dedicated for promoting bilateral relations. The American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is the premier lobbyist working in tandem with Embassy of Israel in Washington DC. The question that begs an answer from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is whether these lobbyist hired by the Government have been properly screened, evaluated and whether their credentials are sufficient to promote the Government in US.
Was there a ‘non-circumvention agreement’ signed between the Government and lobbyists so that these organisations should not be hired by pro-separatist diaspora organisations at the same time? It must be stressed that no amount of lobbying would produce results if the policies of the Government are not tuned in keeping with our international obligations and norms of civilised behaviour. The appointment of the panel of experts for the Paranagama Commission would be a welcome move even though there has been an inordinate delay in grasping the ground reality.
Exclusive diplomatic communications
Kunanayagam’s revelations posit an interesting aspect which must be considered by the Government. Is there a diplomatic coding system or exclusive communications system where diplomatic communications are protected from prying eyes? Would it be high time a new diplomatic communication channel was established as all future negotiations, need not be with the UNHCR, even with other countries, can be carried out through a secure communication channel? This writer does not mean opening a ‘Gmail’ account but a secure official communications channel in consultation with the University of Colombo and other IT/telecommunications experts.
Global power politics have changed and a new global order is in the making. The importance of Sri Lanka’s strategic position has been appreciated by India, US, Japan, Australia and China. This would trigger a clandestine diplomatic warfare in Colombo, each trying to gain a secure foothold for strategic considerations. There has got to be a paradigm shift in our foreign policy. India is closely watching what China is doing in Sri Lanka and whether Sri Lanka is in breach of the Indo-Lanka Agreement, which is the bedrock of friendship between Sri Lanka and India.
(This writer is a freelance journalist and a government affairs consultant. He is a registered member of the American Association of Political Consultants.)
