Sri Lanka welcomes IRA
statement renouncing violence
[July
30, 2005 - 08.30 GMT]
The Government of
Sri Lankan welcomes the statement by the leadership of the Irish
republican Army (IRA) on Thursday (28th July), declaring an
end to the armed campaign and the order given to its cadres to lay down
arms. All volunteers have been instructed to assist the development of
purely political and democratic programs through exclusively peaceful
means.
It is also
encouraging that the IRA leadership is ready to engage with the
Independent International Commission of Decommissioning (IICD) to
“complete the process to verifiably put its arms beyond use”, which will
help in strengthening public confidence.
It is hoped that
the statement will be followed up with tangible measures on the ground,
demonstrating the commitment of the IRA to cease all violence and
criminal activities.
This should serve
as an example to other armed groups engaged in terrorist and criminal
activities elsewhere, including in Sri Lanka, and engage them to
renounce violence.
However, the
statements alone will not suffice and need to be followed up with
action, in bona fides of the groups concerned are to be established.
PRINT
THIS STORY
Contact Information: Send mail to gosl@presidentsl.org with questions or comments about this web site.
Last Updated
Date: July 30, 2005 - 08.30 GMT |
