Govt. should reveal agreements reached with US: JVP

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) today urged the Government to reveal the agreements reached with the United States claiming that people had a right to know about them.

JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake told a news conference that the Government should reveal the proposals made by the US and agreements extended by the President.

“Parliament and the people should know the agreements reached between Sri Lanka and the US. These agreements are not on private property of the rulers. These agreements are involved with country’s sovereignty, its future and property. People have right to know them,” he said.

Mr. Dissanayake said that the motive behind the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit was to get Sri Lanka as a partner in US’s military dominance in the Indian Ocean and added that the Government should not get Sri Lanka into a partnership with any International military organisation.

He said that even though Sri Lanka had entered into Bi-lateral and multi-lateral agreements in the past, Sri Lanka had neither entered into agreements with an International military organisation nor had extend support to such an organisation.

“Even though Sri Lanka had maintained bi-lateral and multi-lateral ties and obtained membership of International organisations, we have never supported or entered into agreements with International military organizations. The main motive of Mike Pompeo’s visit is to make Sri Lanka a partner in US’s military dominance in the Indian Ocean. We warn the Government not to involve Sri Lanka as a partner with any international military organisation. Our stance is that Sri Lanka should not be a partner with any international military organization,” he said.

He said Sri Lanka was not maintaining a non-aligned policy and added that if it was so, President or the Foreign Minister should have condemned the statement made by the US Government urging Sri Lanka to make ‘necessary but difficult decisions to secure its economic independence’.

“They did not do so. We are not maintaining a non-aligned policy but an aligned policy,” he said. (Ajith Siriwardana)