G.L. heads to SAARC meeting with hopes to drum up support at UNHRC
Tuesday, 18 February 2014 00:01
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The External Affairs Minister left for Maldives yesterday to participate in the South Asian Foreign Ministers meeting where he will lobby for support from member countries in support of the pending resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris will lead the Sri Lanka delegation to the forthcoming 35th Session of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Council of Ministers and its preceding meetings to be held in the Maldives, this week.
Foreign Ministers of the SAARC countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will participate in the meeting, which will be held for the first time since 2011.
The foreign ministers are expected to finalise a date for the next SAARC Summit that will be hosted by Nepal towards the end of 2014. The summit, which has been postponed due to political unrest in Nepal is finally expected to go ahead with the swearing in of a new Prime Minister last week.
“In accordance with the theme of ‘Towards Regional Resilience,’ the Council of Ministers is expected to discuss a number of important regional issues including: poverty alleviation; agriculture and food security; climate change and environment; education; connectivity; trade and finance; health; combating terrorism and drug trafficking; maritime security and piracy; energy security; and the social sector,” the statement said.
In reflecting on these issues and other measures to promote regional cooperation amongst its eight members, the Council will evaluate a study to strengthen SAARC mechanisms and decision-making, towards furthering the objectives enshrined in the SAARC Charter reforming SAARC processes as a whole.
The Council will also review existing guidelines relating to SAARC’s engagement with observer countries of which China is one, in order to maximise the benefits gained from such engagement.
“The Council is expected to discuss possibilities for fast-tracking projects to promote social and economic development in the region, thereby enabling SAARC to play a greater role in realizing the hopes and aspirations of the peoples of the region,” the statement added.
Analysts also expect Prof. Peiris to lobby for the SAARC members vote in defeating a UNHRC resolution to be tabled next month on Sri Lanka.
The resolution, which is the third in as many years, aims to pressure Sri Lanka to brush up its human rights record including conducting investigations into allegations of war crimes committed at the end of a three decade war in 2009.
The Government has staunchly denied war crimes allegations and has been working hard to drum up support ahead of the UNHRC sessions in Geneva. Last week Prof. Peiris was in China where he was assured of greater relations at international fora. However, India has consistently voted for the resolution, which is spearheaded by the US.
