http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2011/09/25/new01.asp


Tough and consistent approach against terrorism vital
* Terrorism - greatest threat to stability and progress of nations
*Extend a hand of friendship and goodwill to Sri Lanka, says President
President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s call at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) for a consistent approach to eradicate world terrorism has struck a responsive chord with the international community, especially countries facing the threat of terrorism.
In a landmark address to the UNGA on Friday, President Rajapaksa said that terrorism remained the greatest threat to stability and progress of nations worldwide.
The President’s speech received wide acclaim within the UN and in the wider international community, as no other leader had elaborated in such extensive detail about the menace of terrorism.
Several leaders who met the President on the sidelines of the UNGA had commended him for his frank and forthright views on the subject. The UN News Centre was among the media outlets that gave prominence to the speech, under the headline “At UN, Sri Lanka urges tough and consistent global approach against terrorism”.
The UN News Centre highlighted several significant passages from the speech. In his hard-hitting speech, the President said that “recent experience the world over amply demonstrates that inconsistent standards and discriminating approaches can unintentionally give a fresh lease of life to the forces of terror”.
“An explicit and uniform response which refuses to recognise political shades of terrorism is necessarily required.
Terrorism threatens all countries, rich and poor,” he said. “It must be remembered as well that terrorist groups frequently operate under the guise of front organisations.
Conferring legitimacy on these has the inevitable effect of providing comfort and encouragement to the merchants of terror.”
The President called for both practical actions at the ground level and a “loud and clear” collective message to the world about terrorism. “Terrorism presents a threat from which not even the wealthiest and most powerful of nations are immune.”
The President said he was aware that “the battle for peace is every bit as important and difficult as the struggle against terror.
After terrorism was eradicated my government has turned its undivided attention to building anew the foundations of a unified and vibrant nation and drawing upon the inherent strengths of our country and in particular, the unique calibre of our human potential.”
“We ask our friends in distant lands to drop pre-conceived notions. We strongly believe in home-grown solutions for them to be sustainable.
It is clearly impractical to conceive of universal remedies for problems which afflict our societies,” the President said.
The Armed Forces are engaged in development of the infrastructure destroyed by the terrorists during three decades.
Contrary to the malicious propaganda, the numbers of the Armed forces present in the Northern province are at a minimal level.
“It is worthy of note that all these developments have taken place within a brief space of 30 months – an achievement all the more significant because of our strong emphasis on reconciliation.
Important as economic development is, we have attached the highest priority to fostering the spirit of inclusivity and removing any remnants of bitterness from the hearts and minds of all our people,” he told world leaders at the UNGA. He called upon the international community to extend a hand of friendship and goodwill to Sri Lanka, based on the understanding of the nation’s determination to confront with courage the challenge of a new era in its history. “My country, as it comes out of the darkness of the last three decades into the light and promise of the future, must be afforded the time and space to seek its destiny in accordance with the wishes of its people.”