Allow Sri Lanka space and time to seek its destiny according to people's wishes, President Rajapaksa tells UN

Sri Lanka must be afforded the time and space to seek its destiny in accordance with the wishes of its people as it comes out of the darkness of the last three decades and it is clearly impractical to conceive of universal remedies for problems which afflict Sri Lanka, President Mahinda Rajapaksa told the United Nations today.


Addressing the 66th session of the United Nations general Assembly in the UN Headquarters in New York today, the President delivered a strong message that Sri Lanka has been treated with 'approaches tainted by an unacceptable degree of selectivity' and asked the developing world to monitor and resist such treatment.
Despite continuing clashes of ideas, opinions and values, the dialogue, deliberation and consensus offer the only viable means for resolving differences, the President said.
"The might of powerful nations cannot prevail against justice and fair play," the President told the General Assembly.
He apprised the delegates the development in the country during the last 30 months after the end of the terrorist war and pointed out that the remarkable growth of 22% in the economy of the Northern Province is a clear indication of the success achieved by the government's initiatives with regard to development in the war-torn region.
"It is worthy of note that all these developments have taken place within the brief space of 30 months - an achievement all the more significant because of our strong emphasis on reconciliation," the President noted.
He said Sri Lanka recruited 669 Tamil police officers over the last two years bringing the total number of Tamil officers to 1,143 and plans are afoot to recruit more this year.
He asked the international community the hand of friendship and goodwill, based on understanding of the nation's determination to confront with courage the challenge of a new era in its history.
The foundations of the world order are being transformed dramatically and fundamentally and the need to protect smaller countries in the developing world and to advance their interests vigorously should be at the heart of these changes, the President reminded the Assembly.
Speaking of a separate Palestine state of their own within secure borders, President Rajapaksa said it has not become a reality yet and said it is time for decisive action rather than more discussion to make use of the opportunity now to create a Palestine state as it is in the interest of the security and the well-being of the entire region including Israel.
The president told the Assembly that every country has its own values and traditions, and deeply held religious convictions nurtured over the centuries and they cannot be disregarded.
"These cannot be diluted or distorted under the guise of human rights, by the imposition of attitudes or approaches which are characteristics of alien cultures," the President said.
Full Text of President's Speech