Sri Lanka does not need external guidance to establish permanent peace - President

Sri Lanka, progressing on the path of peace and reconciliation, is committed to walk the extra mile to establish permanent peace through reconciliation and does not need external advice, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Wednesday.
"That is our commitment to our people and no one has to tell us what to do," the President said addressing the participants at the international trade fair "Sri Lanka Expo 2012", organized by the Export Development Board (EDB) at the BMICH in Colombo.

Welcoming the participants, the President said it will be clear to them that the period of conflict is now over and assured that the country will not suffer from terrorism again.
"I will assure you that we will not allow forces of separatism and terror to raise their ugly heads again, certainly not in our motherland," he avowed.
The President pointed out that the large presence of foreign investors and buyers participating in the event shows the failure of the efforts of those who still support the agenda of separatist terror that prevented development in Sri Lanka for more than three decades.
Sri Lanka, with peace achieved and open to competitive market strategies not held back by a regimen of tough regulations, is now ready to be re-positioned as a strategically important economic center in Asia as the continent has become the new economic hub of the world, the President noted.
He said the 370 exhibitors at the Expo 2012 including 70 from the Small and Medium Enterprise Sector represent 25 sectors of export related trade that is growing in importance in Sri Lanka today.
Sri Lanka is determined to develop the country as a hub of trade and commercial activity in the region and very soon in Asia, the President told the investors.
The large international presence at this event is a clear indication of the growing awareness in the world of the new investment opportunities in Sri Lanka, he added.
He invited the participants to discover the "challenges of opportunity" in the country liberated from terror and to participate in the progress of Sri Lanka urging them to make the" most careful studies of the progress we are making and earn the best profits by your confident investments."
Sri Lanka Expo ' 2012 seeks to attract international buyers from every region of the world offering them a rich range of products and services that reflects a multi-cultural heritage a tradition of skilled craftsmanship and the best of modern skills in industry and services.
The exhibition will be held until next Saturday, March 31.