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Ajith P. Perera, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs has been an outstanding individual in the political arena. International ties with big nations keep a country safe from criticisms yet the previous regime had kept these relations on a cliff. Speaking to the Dailymirror , Mr. Perera explained on the advancements of the decisions taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to renew ties with international allies, the situation of political appointees and other ongoing investigations. Excerpts are as follows:
What were the major challenges you had to face especially with regard to the way how the Foreign Ministry and foreign policy were handled by the previous government?
Actually the previous government didn’t have a foreign policy. Their relationship with the EU, US and India was in a very difficult and strange situation. Therefore we had a serious concern about the foreign policy. But the Minister and I are courageous people and we like to face any challenges. So we accepted the position and started working in a few hours.
There were many political appointments during the previous regime. Have they been cleared?
Yes. We simply recalled all political appointees including head of missions and second and third officers.
How about the situation of diplomats and housemaids in the Middle East?
The welfare of the Sri Lankan citizens who work in the Middle East is a serious concern. We are working with the Ministry of Foreign Employment and the Foreign Employment Bureau to achieve a good side of this situation. The situation is comparatively better but we have to work hard.
John Kerry paid a sudden visit to Sri Lanka and there’s news that Barack Obama too will visit Sri Lanka soon. Why has Sri Lanka become a place of interest for the US? Is it another issue of geo-political interest by the big nations?
Not only to the US. Even the EU and India have a lot of interest in Sri Lanka. The main reason behind this is the revolution that took place on January 8. They all know the strength of the Sri Lankan people and its democratic tradition. They believe in the present Government and therefore they all want to work along with us. We being a non-aligned community member, we are working with the US, EU, India and also Russia and China.
Another issue that popped up was the controversy over Udayanga Weeratunga and his alleged arms deal. With such controversies and allegations he still visited the Embassy of Tehran. However the Foreign Ministry has not taken legal action to seek the support of the INTERPOL to arrest him. Does this show that you are not interested in carrying out investigations against him?
We have started investigations against him. We got a complaint with specifics from the Ukrainian government. There are some other allegations against him on financial corruption including the famous MIG deal. I think he’ll be arrested within few months but this government believes in good governance and therefore we don’t want to arrest him prematurely. But visiting the Embassy of Tehran is not an important thing and anybody can visit that place. There’s no warrant against Udayanga yet, but almost all criminals will have to face justice.
There is an ongoing probe on the allegations of war crimes. Can you state what these allegations are and how the probe is being conducted? When will it be published?
I don’t want to be specific on these matters. But I can say that we are in control. The Sri Lankan Government can manage the crisis and we have the deadline for September 4, which will not be a serious issue for the Sri Lankan Government.
What will its outcome be?
We are ready to have a credible, domestic inquiry on war-related issues and we will be able to submit a report on those lines.
The President himself mentioned about an independent mechanism to address issues relating to missing persons. What does he mean when saying ‘independent’? Aren’t international partners such as the UNHRC already involved in the search?
We are working together with the UNHRC and working with them will give us the credibility.
Sri Lanka recently recalled its High Commissioner to India, Sudarshan Seneviratne. What was the reason behind this decision?
Because he was a political appointee. There was an exception here because we had to delay the decision for a few months due to the Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka. There’s nothing against him. Recalling him was part of the original decision which was taken in January.
Two highlights of the present government were the passing of 19th and 20th Amendments. Don’t you think that either one of them or both should have been passed through a referendum?
No. For the 19A the SC decided that no referendum was needed and the proper procedure was followed. The Parliament passed it and it was a very important legislature, and that gives us a credibility specially within the international community. Even the High Commissioner from Human Rights mentioned that the 19 A was the greatest achievement of this government. The 20th Amendment is yet to be scrutinized by the legal community and the SC will decide its path.
