President discusses terrorism, child soldiers and other issues with global leaders

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is due to address the 61st Session of the United Nations General Assembly later today (tomorrow morning in Sri Lanka). He will be introduced to the august assembly by the UNGA President. This will be the high mark of the President’s current visit to New York.

President Rajapaksa has already met several world leaders and held discussions on issues ranging from terrorism, child soldiers, challenges before democracy and bilateral relations with those countries. He was also a guest of honour at the luncheon hosted by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.

UN Secretary General’s special agent for Child rights and child recruitment for conflicts, Dr. Radika Coomaraswamy, met President Rajapaksa, at the UN headquarters for a general discussion. The President pointed out at the meeting that the UN should practical measures and implement them vigorously to totally eliminate the child recruitment. He made a special mention about the continuous recruitment of children by the LTTE for combat and added that the LTTE has been proscribed in many countries due to this evil practice.

Dr. Radika Kumaraswami stated that the UN is ready to give any support to the government of Sri Lanka in that aspect. Accordingly the special agent of the UN Secretary General, Mr. Allan Rock will visit Sri Lanka to investigate into LTTE’s recruitment of the child soldiers.

Yesterday, President Rajapaksa met the Swiss President in Confederation Moritiz Leuenberger at the UN Headquarters at 10 a.m. President expressed his firm believe that Switzerland should zealously guard its absolute neutrality in international affairs.

The President pointed out that the LTTE’s illegal activities such as money laundering and harassment and intimidation of innocent Tamil civilians in Switzerland should be stopped with the full involvement of the Swiss government.

The president Rajapakse attended the 61st session of the United Nations at 11.00 am (8.30 p. m.) yesterday. Large number of leaders such as the US President and the French President also attended this inaugural session.

The Round Table meeting followed the attending of the inaugural session of the United Nations was attended by the Sri Lankan President at the invitation of the US president George W. Bush.

This meeting is specially named as a Round Table on Democracy. Sri Lanka was invited to this meeting because of the high regard as a long-standing democratic country. Along with Sri Lanka, two other long-standing democracies including India and United States attended this meeting. Several Africa, South American and European countries attended this meeting as emerging democratic countries.

How to assist the emerging democracies to further their democratic values and ensure them becoming long-standing democratic Countries was discussed in detail at the meeting. Specially, the steps needed to secure the democratic countries from terrorism, were discussed in detail.

At the meeting between the President Rajapaksa and Norwegian Premier Jens Stoltenberg, the two leaders reviewed the latest developments concerning the prospects of talks between the Government and the LTTE. During this discussion held in a frank and open manner, President explained since he was elected President by the people of Sri Lanka, the LTTE has launched attacks on the military and civilian targets. The government has faced these with tremendous restraint and patience. However, the government was compelled to launch defensive and deterrent action to safeguard the territory and people.

Expressing his government’s genuine desire to find a peaceful solution to the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka, President said that the government was ready for talks if the LTTE is prepared to stop terrorism and come forward for negotiations.

Norwegian Prime Minister said that Norway was not agreeable to some of the positions taken by the former head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM). Two leaders have agreed that Norway and Sri Lanka as two sovereign nations should extend their cooperation to many spheres without limiting to peace facilitation.