EU committed to maintain close ties with Sri Lanka

A delegation of senior officials from the European Union visited Sri Lanka from March 16-18, to discuss EU concerns at the current situation in the country. A statement issued by the EU Presidency noted that the EU and Sri Lanka have deep, longstanding relations, covering economic, trade, political and cultural matters. Slovenia, which holds the current rotating EU Presidency said in a statement, “The EU is committed to maintaining these, and welcomes the opportunity provided by this visit for open and frank discussions.” The 27-member European bloc welcomed such steps as have been taken towards a politically sustainable devolution plan for Sri Lanka. Having taken note of the interim proposal from the All Party Representative Committee (APRC), it said the EU looks forward to an ambitious final proposal in the coming months. Following peaceful local elections in Batticaloa district on 10 March, key issues have been identified concerning the provision of proper electoral conditions, including the disarmament of paramilitaries. The EU sees effective action on this as key to ensuring free and fair voting at the provincial elections scheduled for May. “The EU has an active, well defined policy on counterterrorism. This underlies the EU’s unequivocal condemnation of all terrorist activities, including those by the LTTE.”In 2006, the EU listed the LTTE as a terrorist organisation. Since then there have been a number of criminal prosecutions against LTTE fund raising in Europe.