APRC offers chance for peace

through development
– US Ambassador

[Wednesday, December 19, 2007 - 05.15 GMT] 

The APRC process offers a significant chance not only to effect meaningful power-sharing with the regions as an essential component of constitutional reform, but also to build peace through development and by reducing regional poverty inequities, said US Ambassador Robert O. Blake addressing the Sri Lanka Economic Association’s (SLEA) Annual Book Launch held at the OPA Auditorium on December 18.

”One region that must be an early priority is the East.  Sri Lanka has a significant opportunity to stabilize and develop the East in a manner that would demonstrate to all Sri Lankans, but particularly Tamils and Muslims, that they have a bright future within a united Sri Lanka and that the Government is serious about ensuring their rights and providing opportunities equitably within a pluralistic state.  In short, a successful transition in the East can be an important confidence builder and a building block for a future negotiation process,” he added.

  
Acknowledging that the government has pledged to promote development in the East as one of its priorities in the budget that just passed, the Ambassador stated that the United States is already helping in this respect, and is ready to do more.

  
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will implement two major new projects over the next five years:  the Sri Lanka Conflict Response Program and the Connecting Regional Economies program.

The Ambassador also warned “the government faces significant risks if it fails to seize its opportunity in the East.  Specifically, a failure to effect an orderly transition from military to civilian control, a failure to consult elected representatives of the Tamil, Muslim and Sinhalese communities on the development and other programs now being devised for the East, and a failure to rein in paramilitaries are all likely to destabilize the East and harden minority attitudes and even spark violence.”