It is imperative that rights of all communities are fully upheld in any settlement - Jack Straw
[December 18, 2002 - 10.15 GMT]

“It is imperative that the rights of all communities are fully upheld in any settlement”, said British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in London Tuesday. The comments were made following Tuesday’s talks with G.L. Peiris, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Enterprise Development, Industrial Policy, Investment Promotion and Constitutional Affairs. Peiris is also head of Sri Lanka’s delegation to peace talks with the LTTE.

Commenting on the meeting Straw said, “I was very pleased to be able to meet Professor Peiris today. This is a historic time in Sri Lanka’s history as the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) make progress towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict that has ravaged one of the world’s most beautiful islands for 20 years.”

“It is encouraging that at the last round of talks the two sides agreed to explore a solution founded on the principle of internal self-determination for the Tamil people, based on a federal structure within a united Sri Lanka” he added. 

“I look forward to further progress at the next round of talks in January. I am pleased that human rights issues are being addressed at this early stage. It is imperative that the rights of all communities are fully upheld in any settlement”.

He added that Britain had committed over 15 million pounds (23 million dollars) in developmental assistance for Sri Lanka during 2003 and 2004.

PRINT THIS STORY

Contact Information: Send mail to webmaster@priu.gov.lk with questions or comments about this web site. 
Last Updated Date: December 18, 2002  - 10.15 GMT.