The United Nations Charter respects and acknowledges the sovereign equality of all nations. It holds State sovereignty as inviolable. In all its actions it concedes the right of sovereignty.

In fact, time and again the United Nations General Assembly has passes resolutions guaranteeing State sovereignty and approving the principle of non-interference in the internal and external affairs of sovereign countries.

For example, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2131 (XX) of December 21, 1965 solemnly declares:

“1. No State has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly, for any reason whatever, in the internal and external affairs of any other State. Consequently armed intervention and all other forms of interference or attempted threats against the personality of the State or against its political, economic and cultural elements are condemned.

“2. No State may use or encourage the use of economic, political or any other type of measures to coerce another State to obtain from it the subordination of the exercise of sovereign rights or to secure from its advantages of any kind. ....”

For the information of the JVP Leader and others of his kind who want to cede part of the country’s sovereignty it would be illuminating to quote from the UNGA Resolution 2625 (XXV) of October 24, 1970 which enunciated the Principle of sovereign equality of States in the following words:

“All States enjoy sovereign equality. They have equal rights and duties and are equal members of the international community, notwithstanding differences of an economic, social, political or other nature.

“In particular, sovereign equality includes the following elements:

(a) States are juridically equal;
(b) Each State enjoys the rights inherent in full sovereignty;
(c)Each State has the duty to respect the personality of other States;
(d) The territorial integrity and political independence of the State are inviolable;
(e) Each State has the right freely to choose and develop its     political, social, economic and cultural systems;
(f) Each State has the duty to comply fully and in good faith with its international obligations and to live in peace with other States.”

Most States and even UN Agencies seem to have forgotten these principles and resolutions as seen by attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of this country. Western nations - the US, UK and the EU have very often interfered in the elections in developing countries, often funding political groups and parties of their liking and calling for legal and administrative and political changes in these countries.

Such interference is based on colonial arrogance which takes it for granted that the political and other systems found in their countries are the best in the world and that Third World countries are uncivilized and the mission of civilizing them is the duty of the West.

They do not accept the fact that some of the Third World countries have their own systems of democracy that are not second to the western model.

They have even attempted to cast aspersions on the judicial and the executive systems in the country which is none of their business. Ambassadors from some of these nations have made public pronouncements on the politics and governance of the country, which normally is regarded as interference in the country’s internal affairs.

The integrity and sovereignty of the country are inviolable just as it is in any other country. Just as Sri Lanka respects the integrity and sovereignty of other countries it expects the other countries to reciprocate in the same spirit, nothing more and nothing less.

Daily News (Editorial 13.02.2010)