'Govt. should judge GSP+ status'

"I remain confident that fairness and common-sense will determine the EU-Sri Lanka relationship. Trade must not be used as a tool to punish the government for eliminating the scourge of terrorism from Sri Lanka's shores."
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An Exclusive Interview with Geoffrey Van Orden MEP
UK Member of the European Parliament and Chairman "Friends of Sri Lanka”

By Nilantha Ilangamuwa

(November 05, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Geoffrey Van Orden, a British member of the European Parliament, and the Chairman of “Friends of Sri Lanka” agreed to an interview with the Sri Lanka Guardian regarding the Reconstruction process and international criticisms being leveled at the Sri Lankan Government and military. He also explains the purpose of the organization he is the chairman for, and its importance to Sri Lankan interests, internationally.

Excerpts of the interview;

Q.1. Welcome to Sri Lanka Guardian and thank you for accepting our interview request. We'd like you to share your thoughts with our readers on the present political and military climate in Sri Lanka and present political typhoon in the EU over the GSP plus, the benefit given to marginalized people working in the apparel and garment sector in the Island Nation.

GVO. The people of Sri Lanka - Sinhalese and particularly Tamils - have suffered enormously over these past 30 years from a ruthless terrorist campaign conducted by the LTTE.

Now that the LTTE have been defeated in the field, the Government and people of Sri Lanka need our sympathetic understanding and, above all, our assistance in trying to set Sri Lanka on the path of recovery and prosperity and prevent any resurgence of terrorism. Instead of adding to their difficulties, we should be doing all that we can to help the people of Sri Lanka through their democratically elected Government. Instead, socialist politicians, in countries where there is a Tamil diaspora with the vote, seem bent on making life even more difficult and playing to the old LTTE tune.

However, I have also consistently emphasised that the government needs to be generous and pro-active in addressing the concerns and interests of its Tamil citizens so that the Tamil peoples also see the defeat of the LTTE as a liberation. This is not only the right thing to do. It will also undermine support for extremists in the Tamil diaspora and offer the best guarantee that terrorism will not find fertile ground for regrowth in the years ahead.

The immediate priority is to register and resettle those thousands of Tamil civilians caught up in the conflict and now being held in poor conditions in camps. There are some very serious humanitarian concerns which must be addressed as a matter of great urgency. I am encouraged by reports that the pace of processing and resettlement has accelerated in recent days but more needs to be done. The international community should be invited to assist and there should be greater transparency and openness.

It is most regrettable that Sri Lanka's GSP+ preferred trade status with the EU is currently under threat. This is potentially damaging and very unhelpful to an emerging economy, stalled by 30 years of conflict, and whose export sector directly employs hundreds of thousands of people. I have been adamant that the EU must take this matter forward in a more positive and productive way.

"I would urge the Sri Lankan government not to take any action which could be seen as a restriction of freedom of expression and to be more open and co-operative in its dealings with the international and local media."
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Q.2. You are the chairman of the ‘Friends of Sri Lanka’ group of the European Parliament and participated in the inter-party negotiations on the compromise urgency. What is the role, mission and goal of the group?

GVO. The 'Friends of Sri Lanka Group' in the European Parliament is an informal, transnational and non-partisan grouping of MEPs who seek to promote a greater understanding of Sri Lankan issues in the European Parliament. I see us as "critical friends". We help host events in the parliament, show-casing the many positive facets of Sri Lanka, and foster engagement between Sri Lankan representatives and MEPs. We expect the Sri Lankan authorities and others to ensure that we are kept well-informed about the situation in Sri Lanka. We aim to be the voice of reason when Sri Lanka is discussed in parliament, combating the extremists. This is especially important at a time when Sri Lanka is under unfair attack in the international media.

Q.3. What do you think about the present political and military developments in Sri Lanka, as a former-Army-officer-turned-politician in Britain? What are your views about the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or Tamil Tiger rebels, their political and military ideology and, more specifically, what weakness of theirs led them to lose the struggle in the end? What was the key reason for the success of the Sri Lanka forces in one of Asia’s longest civil wars?

GVO. Terrorists like to present themselves as freedom fighters. In reality they are about political power for a small group of extremists. I can think of no terrorist organisation that has delivered freedom to the people it claims to represent. In fact, they are its prime targets. The terrorists need to gain maximum control of their own community and do this by intimidation and murder - eliminating those elements that might oppose them. They aim to undermine public confidence in the ability of the government to protect the population. They do this by targeted attacks on seemingly well-protected individuals and by indiscriminate attacks on the civilian population. When in difficulty, they endeavour to mobilise international support by appealing to well-meaning liberal sentiment through claims of human rights abuse. It is, of course, the terrorists themselves who are the greatest human rights abusers

The LTTE shares all these characteristics with all other recent terrorist organisations. In particular, it has targeted Tamil politicians that have opposed it. It has used human shields, child soldiers and indiscriminate murder to further its objectives, and accordingly has been proscribed by the EU, and by the UK, USA and many other states. As a further indictment, the LTTE pioneered the use of suicide bomb attacks, creating carnage among masses of innocent civilians, and was a prolific and indiscriminate user of anti-personnel landmines, banned by international convention, and now a continuing threat to life and major obstacle to the successful rehabilitation of former conflict zones. Its claim to speak for the various Tamil peoples of Sri Lanka was always false. It carried its campaign to the Tamils who have moved to other countries hoping for some respite from conflict, who found themselves subject to continued intimidation and extortion.

Terrorists are defeated by political determination. The area where the democracies have traditionally been weakest has been in attacking the legitimacy of the terrorists and fighting them on all fronts - politically, socially, economically and militarily in a comprehensive, systematic and well-targeted manner, both at home and internationally. This aspect is often not well understood.

The LTTE has been defeated by a combination of national and international effort. The true nature of the LTTE has been better understood, sources of funding from overseas have gradually been cut off, and the Sri Lankan armed forces have been better equipped, organised and empowered. Terrorism will always fail - it is simply a matter of how long it is allowed to continue and what damage it inflicts in the meantime.

I congratulate the Sri Lankan government and armed forces for having the determination to see the matter through to a successful conclusion, despite the many sacrifices this has involved. But I underline the need to recall Churchill's words: "in victory, magnanimity; in peace, goodwill".

It would be the most enormous and fatal error to cast all those Tamil people that have lived under the authoritarian control of the LTTE for many years as tainted. They should be embraced and given greatly improved prospects.

"The LTTE shares all these characteristics with all other recent terrorist organisations. In particular, it has targeted Tamil politicians that have opposed it. It has used human shields, child soldiers and indiscriminate murder to further its objectives, and accordingly has been proscribed by the EU, and by the UK, USA and many other states."
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Q.4. What are differences between the Gerry Adam’s IRA and Velipillei Prabhakaran’s LTTE?

GVO. Rather than differences, I believe there to be many unpleasant parallels between the Provisional IRA and the LTTE. Both organizations hid their bloody handiwork behind a veil of political respectability, which gave them false credence, as well as support, in the international arena. The IRA had Sinn Fein as its political front, whilst the LTTE had a political wing bearing the same name. Both the LTTE and the IRA were heavily dependent on overseas funding and support, with the LTTE receiving significant funding from Tamils based in the UK, Europe, North America and Australia and the IRA receiving funding from Irish-Americans, largely ignorant of the realities of what was happening in the old 'home country' . Both organisations focused on intimidation of their own community and also targeted civilians indiscriminately. In addition to murder and mayhem, both engaged in other aspects of organised crime - racketeering, smuggling, and narcotics distribution while the LTTE also engaged in credit card fraud. Both were about political power for a few individuals. Both had their apologists, some misguided but well-meaning, others just politically motivated.

There were two major differences between the two organisations. Whereas the first consideration of an IRA terrorist was his own escape, the LTTE made horrific use of suicide bombers. While the IRA had a presence in certain limited geographical areas of Northern Ireland, the LTTE was effectively in political control of large parts of Sri Lankan territory. This enabled the recruitment, training and deployment of formed bodies of insurgents to engage in military action, something which the IRA was never capable of doing apart from publicity stunts for television cameras.

Q.5. International pressure is on Sri Lanka after the end of the war over human rights violation and war crimes. Recently, the Department of State in the US and some leading human rights organizations have strongly criticized abuses of human rights by the government of Sri Lanka. What is your opinion over such criticism?

GVO. Democratic governments, and the security forces under their control, must always act with the greatest propriety, ensuring that their conduct meets the highest standards and investigating credible allegations of abuse. I would urge the Sri Lankan authorities to pay greater attention to enquiries concerning alleged human rights violations, to involve reputable international observers, and bring the process rapidly to a transparently satisfactory conclusion.

I recognise that the Sri Lankan government is in the midst of developing a National Plan of Action for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (NHRAP) with a view to addressing weaknesses over a five year period. It has also introduced a Victim and Witness Assistance and Protection Bill in the Sri Lankan parliament, which is currently in its second reading and which, among other consequences, should give a more solid legal underpinning to human rights investigations in Sri Lanka.

Most urgently, the conditions in the camps must be greatly improved. Those being held, with the exception of identified LTTE cadres, should be resettled quickly and the camps closed. Those detained for terrorist affiliations should be named, treated properly, and subjected to a transparent, legal process.

I recognise, however, that the cry of 'human rights abuse' is always a tactic of a terrorist organisation seeking international support to save it from defeat. The terrorists, of course, are the greatest human rights violators, with no concern whatsoever for human life.

Q.6. Many journalists have been killed over the last few years in Sri Lanka and many others have left the country. Many of those who remain in Sri Lanka are harassed and threatened. Even an independent media has been denied free access to the field. The international community blamed the government over freedom of expression. Do you think there is substance in these allegations?

GVO. I would urge the Sri Lankan government not to take any action which could be seen as a restriction of freedom of expression and to be more open and co-operative in its dealings with the international and local media. While some journalists are effectively spokesmen for the LTTE the risk of their propaganda should be balanced against the benefit of openness and democratic accountability that would come from giving the media freedom of movement and access to locations that have attracted criticism.

Q.7. Last week, the European Commission adopted a report accusing Sri Lanka of flouting human-rights standards. The EU called for a probe into allegations of human rights abuses by the government of Sri Lanka. The people of Sri Lanka received this benefit that has opportunities to thousands of people, especially women who are working in the apparel sector, in 2005. So do you think are there is a risk of losing the benefit of 'GSP plus', that has brought stability and happiness within marginalized people in the Island nation?

GVO. Sri Lanka was granted GSP+ (favoured trade status) by the EU in response to the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004, which killed 35,322 people, left 516,150 homeless and caused £1 billion worth of damage. The Sri Lankan people have benefitted greatly from this preferential trade arrangement, under which almost £1 billion worth of high quality Sri Lankan goods are exported annually to Europe at reduced tariff rates.

Those who are pushing for the removal of Sri Lanka from the list of GSP+ beneficiaries would do well to note that Sri Lanka is now recovering from both internal conflict (in which 90,000 people died) and the lingering after-effects of the tsunami. It is the weakest and poorest in Sri Lankan society who will suffer the most from the loss of GSP+. Despite its negative findings, I have urged the Commission to maintain Sri Lanka's GSP + status for the reasons outlined above.

Q.8. Meanwhile deputy leader of the main opposition the UNP, Mr. Karu Jayasuriya released the statement: “As the UNP has constantly said, the GSP Plus tariff concession scheme granted by the European Union has been a lifeline to the apparel and garment industry in Sri Lanka, which directly employs over 300,000 persons and nearly a half a million persons indirectly. The denial of this concession will severely compromise Sri Lanka’s competitiveness and perhaps sound the death knell for the industry.” Likewise most of political parties who are opposed to the present Government also kindly urge the EU to continue this opportunity in Sri Lanka. Because this will hurt the people who are depending on this kind of benefit, if Sri Lanka lost it. So what is your suggestion you gave to the European Parliament?

GVO. In my speech to the European Parliament during a recent debate on Sri Lanka, I emphasized that I have always been a firm believer that it is trade, rather than aid, that will provide the best route to economic recovery and improvement in post-conflict Sri Lanka. I also said that the Sri Lankan authorities need to address the concerns expressed by friends in the international community so that there is no excuse for GSP+ status to be compromised.

I drew attention to the fact that the Sri Lankan economy has been held back by 30 years of conflict and EU countries remain the biggest single market for Sri Lanka's exports, with these exports set to play an important role in Sri Lanka's economic recovery. I also drew attention to the fact that many hundreds of thousands of well-paid jobs in the export sector are at stake.

I concluded by calling on the Commission to maintain Sri Lanka's GSP + status. The matter now rests with the Council of Ministers of the EU Member States.

Those who are pushing for the removal of Sri Lanka from the list of GSP+ beneficiaries would do well to note that Sri Lanka is now recovering from both internal conflict (in which 90,000 people died) and the lingering after-effects of the tsunami. It is the weakest and poorest in Sri Lankan society who will suffer the most from the loss of GSP+.
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Q.9. The Government, on the other hand, says losing GSP plus is not the problem, it is the stability of the economy. Do you also have the same feeling as the Government has?

GVO. The Government is best placed to make a judgement on the importance of GSP+ status. To my mind it is vitally important for Sri Lanka. Aside from economic considerations, it would be a mistake if Sri Lanka were to shift away from her historic relationship with the democracies.

Q.10. Do you think that Sri Lanka has lost its image in the international community after their mission accomplished against the Tamil Tiger rebels?

GVO. Whilst some observers will have had concerns about the way the conflict was fought in its final stages, the international media has paid little attention to the atrocities committed by the LTTE over the past three decades, and, in particular, during the final stages of the war, when it forced the civilian population to move with it, deliberately exposing these civilians to danger, using them as human shields to halt the advance of government forces.

Now that the LTTE has been routed, the military must revert to a peace-time posture as soon as possible. Military engineers could assist the process of demining and reconstruction of infrastructure, schools and housing. Tamils must be recruited to the police in greater numbers. Such concrete displays of goodwill would do much to win over the hearts and minds of a worried Tamil population and disarm feelings of ill-will towards Sri Lanka in the international community.

Q.11. Do you believe in a political solution, like devolution of power that’s based on 13th amendment, to the problem in Sri Lanka?

GVO. All such situations are best addressed by a combination of political, social, economic, and security measures. The government needs to be generous and pro-active in addressing the concerns and interests of its Tamil citizens and accordingly, should now fully implement the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution. This makes Tamil an official language alongside Sinhalese and grants certain devolved powers to the nine Sri Lankan provinces. The amendment, which has already been applied in eight provinces, could not be applied in the Northern Province whilst the LTTE was still in control of large areas. The government is currently taking steps to ensure that the amendment will be fully applied in the north as swiftly as feasible. When applied, it will offer greater autonomy to the Tamil community in the north of the island by establishing an elected Provincial Council with real power over important local issues such as healthcare, education, transport and agriculture, as well as certain tax-raising powers. Such a constitutional arrangement will be an important step in ensuring that the interests of the Tamil community are addressed whilst maintaining the unity and integrity of the Sri Lankan state.

"I recognise, however, that the cry of 'human rights abuse' is always a tactic of a terrorist organisation seeking international support to save it from defeat. The terrorists, of course, are the greatest human rights violators, with no concern whatsoever for human life."
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Q.12. What do you think about foreign policy of present government, many analysts say its anti-West policy advocated by President Rajapaksa? Even he is maintaining very close relationship with China, Iran, Myanmar, and Libya -- countries accused of human rights violation internationally. What is your assessment of Rajapaksa and his foreign policies?

GVO. You are known by the company you keep. I feel sure that President Rajapaksa would not wish in any way to compromise the long-standing relationship that Sri Lanka has with the EU and in particular the UK, India and other democracies, in exchange for a relationship with very dubious regimes such as Iran and Myanmar that have appalling human rights records and are under international sanctions.

I remain confident that fairness and common-sense will determine the EU-Sri Lanka relationship. Trade must not be used as a tool to punish the government for eliminating the scourge of terrorism from Sri Lanka's shores. Equally, sensitivity to the interests of all law-abiding citizens as well as to the concerns of informed international opinion, should be a hallmark of good government.

One relatively small, but very beneficial and cost-free step that the government could take, now that the conflict is over, would be accession to the Ottawa Treaty to ban Anti-Personnel Landmines.

-Sri Lanka Guardian