Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama summoned the British Acting High Commissioner in Colombo Mark Gooding to the Foreign Ministry yesterday (24 Feb) to express Sri Lanka’s strong protest with regard to the British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband’s decision to address the London Conference of the pro-LTTE ‘Global Tamil Forum’ (GTF) yesterday.

The Foreign Minister informed the Acting High Commissioner that the GTF brings together under one umbrella, several LTTE front organizations based mostly in the western countries, and that its objective is to create a separate state of Tamil Eelam.

Foreign Minister also emphasized that Foreign Secretary Miliband, by participating at the GTF Meeting, would unfortunately lend credibility to an organization which is propagating the separatist agenda of the LTTE, and would be acting in a manner inimical to the national interest of Sri Lanka and its legitimate government.

The Foreign Minister observed that Sri Lanka expects the British Government and its representatives who are interested in achieving a durable peace in Sri Lanka to encourage the Sri Lankan diaspora to give up the LTTE’s monolithic separatist agenda and to work constructively towards an inclusive peace.

Following is the full text of the statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rohitha Bogollagama yesterday (24 Feb):
 

Sri Lanka strongly protests British Foreign Secretary’s participation at meeting of Global Tamil Forum, an LTTE front organization

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama summoned the British Acting High Commissioner in Colombo Mark Gooding to the Foreign Ministry today to express Sri Lanka’s strong protest with regard to the British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband’s intent to address the London Conference of the pro-LTTE ‘Global Tamil Forum’ (GTF) today (24/2). The Foreign Minister informed the Acting High Commissioner that the GTF brings together under one umbrella, several LTTE front organizations based mostly in the western countries, and that its objective is to create a separate state of Tamil Eelam. The Foreign Minister in this context emphasized that Foreign Secretary Miliband, by participating at today’s GTF Meeting in London, would unfortunately lend credibility to an organization which is propagating the separatist agenda of the LTTE, and would be acting in a manner inimical to the national interest of Sri Lanka and its legitimate government.

The Foreign Minister further noted that the GTF was formed in order to launch the so called “Provisional Trans-National Government of Tamil Eelam”, and hence poses a ‘direct threat’ to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. Taking into consideration the LTTE agenda of the GTF, the Foreign Minister asked the Acting High Commissioner to convey that he urged Foreign Secretary Miliband to change his decision to address the GTF Meeting today in London, if the Foreign Secretary is genuinely interested in supporting the legitimate government elected by the people of Sri Lanka to achieve peace and reconciliation among all communities. The Foreign Minister also indicated that Sri Lanka encouraged the British Government to directly engage with the Sri Lankan Government in achieving this shared objective of peace and reconciliation.

The Foreign Minister observed that Sri Lanka expects the British Government and its representatives who are interested in achieving a durable peace in Sri Lanka to encourage the Sri Lankan diaspora to give up the LTTE’s monolithic separatist agenda and to work constructively towards an inclusive peace. The non-participation of Foreign Secretary Miliband in today’s GTF meeting in London would be the best way to convey this message, he noted.

The British Foreign Secretary made his intention of addressing the GTF known in a statement delivered at the British House of Commons yesterday.