by Ashok Tuteja in New Delhi
(June 17, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) Sri Lanka today indirectly ridiculed Pakistan’s argument that ‘jihadi’ elements in J&K were ‘freedom fighters’ as it called for collective efforts by SAARC nations to combat the menace. (Image: External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee greets his Sri Lankan counterpart Rohitha Bogollagama before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Monday.)
Addressing a press conference here, Sri Lankan foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama said: “A terrorist is a terrorist…one person’s terrorist can’t be a freedom fighter for another. There is no debate on that.”
His comments assume significance as Sri Lanka is scheduled to host the 15th SAARC Summit in Colombo in August. The issue of terrorism will be high on the agenda.
Bogollagama, who is on a two-day visit to India, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee and extended them invitations for the SAARC Summit.
Asked whether Sri Lanka was in a position to host an incident-free SAARC Summit, Bogollagama said his country had recently successfully hosted an international youth ministers’ summit and some high-level visits by world leaders.
On whether India was feeling jittery that Sri Lanka was buying arms from China and Pakistan to grapple with the insurgency in the island nation, he said: “India is a big country, it won’t get jittery about anything.”
On the ongoing LTTE violence, Bogollagama said Sri Lanka was of the firm view that political problems should be resolved by political means.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
(June 17, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) Sri Lanka today indirectly ridiculed Pakistan’s argument that ‘jihadi’ elements in J&K were ‘freedom fighters’ as it called for collective efforts by SAARC nations to combat the menace. (Image: External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee greets his Sri Lankan counterpart Rohitha Bogollagama before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Monday.)
Addressing a press conference here, Sri Lankan foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama said: “A terrorist is a terrorist…one person’s terrorist can’t be a freedom fighter for another. There is no debate on that.”
His comments assume significance as Sri Lanka is scheduled to host the 15th SAARC Summit in Colombo in August. The issue of terrorism will be high on the agenda.
Bogollagama, who is on a two-day visit to India, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee and extended them invitations for the SAARC Summit.
Asked whether Sri Lanka was in a position to host an incident-free SAARC Summit, Bogollagama said his country had recently successfully hosted an international youth ministers’ summit and some high-level visits by world leaders.
On whether India was feeling jittery that Sri Lanka was buying arms from China and Pakistan to grapple with the insurgency in the island nation, he said: “India is a big country, it won’t get jittery about anything.”
On the ongoing LTTE violence, Bogollagama said Sri Lanka was of the firm view that political problems should be resolved by political means.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
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