Govt. shouldn't make irresponsible statements, Ranil advises

Govt. shouldn't make irresponsible statements, Ranil advises






[2008-06-04 6.50pm] Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has advised government ministers and top officials against making statements that Sri Lanka could do without the GSP+ concession.
Instead of making such irresponsible statements, the government should first submit its application for the renewal of the tariff exemption, he said.
Mr. Wickremesinghe was speaking to the media in Colombo today (June 04th) on his recent tour of Brussels where raised the GSP+ issue with European Union officials.


The opposition leader said that EU officials had informed him that selection would be done on the basis of implementation of their conditions made in 2005, which makes it mandatory for the government to put into practice 27 international charters.
The governing body of these agreements is the United Nations, and not the EU, he said.
"EU officials told me that there are several issues relating to Sri Lanka. They pointed out their inability to grant GSP+ to Sri Lanka if the breached agreements are not corrected. I too, was aware about that," Mr. Wickremesinghe said.
He said, however, that he did not seek details, as it was not his duty to do so, although the EU officials made him aware of the issues at hand.
It is the accepted practice for prospective countries to submit their applications by October, although countries facing problems send their requests earlier than that, according to Mr. Wickremesinghe.
The shortcomings on the part of the government could easily be identified if one reads international charters on civil and political rights.
The opposition leader extended his support to the government to correct its mistakes, and warned that its failure to comply would result in further demonstrations.



He said the UNP was prepared to take any action to safeguard the more than 100,000 employment opportunities that have been secured through the GSP+ concession, including support for government moves to adopt new legislation.
"When I was in Europe, the president and all ministers slung mud at me, charging that I was lobbying against the GSP+ concession. Ranil Wickremesinghe is not ready to jeopardize the jobs of 100,000 youths through petty politics," the opposition leader added.