REFUGEE

Colombo: The European Union has no valid reason to penalize Sri Lanka on the GSP + facility under the present conditions in the country and Sri Lanka is exploring alternate measures, a government minister said today.

Export Development Minister, Prof. G. L. Peiris addressing a news conference at the Mahaweli Centre in Colombo this morning said everyone who visited Sri Lanka to inspect the humanitarian situation was satisfied with the progress the government made.

Penalizing Sri Lanka on the GSP + now for no valid reason seems to be a conspiracy that could be well understood in the present day political context in the country, he said.

"All dignitaries who came here to inspect the war affected zone after peace was restored expressed satisfaction over the manner the displaced persons were looked after in the welfare camps. If that was so with people like John Holmes, the delay in giving us that facility gives reason to believe of a conspiracy," Prof. Peiris asserted.

The European Commission on Trade on Wednesday proposed to temporarily suspend the GSP+ facility to Sri Lanka after an investigation on the human right situation in the country. The EU Member States have two months to decide on the proposal.

Robert Blake, the U.S. Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, who visited the country earlier in the month, commended the government on its handling of the humanitarian situation and said he was pleased to see the progress in the troubled region. The United Nations Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Sir John Holmes who visited the welfare centers in Northern Sri Lanka last month said he was pleased with the facilities offered to the IDPs by the government of Sri Lanka.

Minister Peiris recalled that the EU Foreign Minister in March this year wanted the war to be stopped and both parties to talk to each other. If that condition was not adhered to, the GSP + facility would be affected, the EU Foreign Minister has warned.

Minister Peiris pointed out that no proud nation could succumb to such kind of dictates.

"We are now exploring the possibility of alternate measures to overcome a crisis situation," the Minister said