SL gains significant advantages from ties with Israel
[19 September 2000]

With the recent establishment of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Israel, Colombo has gained significant advantages in the form of intelligence and access to sophisticated Israeli weapons systems, Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar told India Abroad News Service.

“ I mean all these years, we’ve been buying arms from them. Commercially, we were buying arms, but there were other things- intelligence and also speeding up supplies which they have done,” the Minister said.

The decision to establish diplomatic ties with Israel was certainly “triggered by, I would say, the crisis we were going through,” he acknowledged, referring to the onslaught by the LTTE on Northern Jaffna town.

Kadirgamar said that at no time did Sri Lanka “ want India to intervene Miitarily. There was absolutely no question of asking India to intervene militarily. The IPKF episode was very bad for both countries. Neither country wants to repeat that.”

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