The recently aired Channel 4 video footage on Sri Lanka is a part of vicious politically motivated campaign against Sri Lanka, Prof. G. L. Peiris said.

What we are seeing today is an onslaught on economic progress in Sri Lanka. The arena of the action has shifted from the battlefields to the field of diplomacy and international relations, he said addressing the media today at the Ministry of External Affairs, Colombo.

"The merchants of terror who wanted to destroy this country, its territorial integrity were defeated. They are now doing every thing they possibly can to scuttle the efforts that Sri Lanka is making under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to put the country on the fast track to economic and social development," Prof. Peiris added.

The Defence Ministry and the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission are investigating the Channel 4 video footage independently and it is well within their scope to find the appropriate mechanism to best conduct their investigations, the Minister added.

Referring to a summons by a US Federal Court on President Rajapaksa, the Minister said there is a concerted attempt by certain elements worldwide to prevent President Mahinda Rajapaksa traveling and addressing the world to present the true story about Sri Lanka, the Minister said.

"A court in a country cannot summons a President who is elected by citizens twice in a sovereign country," he said.

President Rajapaksa will not be deterred by these attempts, and he will travel whenever and wherever it is necessary to represent the country, Prof. Peiris said.

Referring to a question about the relations with the Western world Prof. Peiris said that Sri Lanka maintains the warmest possible relation with every country.

We have the same story to tell all, so we do not exclude any country, the Minister said.

"We strongly believe that our case will be accepted by the world," Prof. Peiris added.