Lanka’s SAARC thrust to cripple LTTE terrorism

Manjula FERNANDO in New Delhi

NEW DELHI: In a bid to cripple LTTE’s fund raising and arms procurement machinery well active in the region, Sri Lanka will push for more emphasis on Terrorism Financing in the Counter Terrorism Declaration that is to be passed at the end of the 14th SAARC summit, proposed by host, India.

“Terrorism has afflicted all countries in the region without exception, at some point or other.

There are applicable SAARC conventions as well as global conventions that can be given effect by SAARC members.

Unfortunately we have not been too proactive giving effect to existing laws,” Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona said.

Dr. Kohona briefed his counterparts from India, Pakistan, the Maldives, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Afghanistan, at the informal sessions on Saturday, on the need for collective integration in this area and for a thrust on curbing terrorism financing, both through direct and indirect means by front organisations, through state law enforcement agencies. Afghanistan and India had been very supportive of this effort from the outset.

“Hopefully it will be passed at the main summit,” Dr. Kohona said.

Sri Lanka’s inputs will call for action to arrest fund raising, money laundering and arms procurement, by terror groups, which also includes LTTE.

Dr. Kohona told the Daily News: “It is not to be forgotten terrorism does not stand alone.

It is intimately linked to other international crimes such as human trafficking, narcotics, arms trading and money laundering. All these elements should be looked at.”

He said the idea is to make SAARC more proactive in dealing with these issues.

Asked if the latest threat posed by the LTTE’s air wing will be taken up at the main summit, Dr. Kohona said it will be discussed more on a bi- lateral platform with India rather than at the SAARC summit.

Sri Lanka’s concerns will be discussed at the Foreign Secretaries’ meeting and also at the Foreign Ministers’ meeting that will continue throughout today, before it will be finally taken up at the main state-leaders summit on Tuesday.

He said compared to other regional bodies like the European Union (EU) and ASEAN, SAARC has not delivered very much on its promises.

“Our objective is more integration, so that it will deliver tangible benefits to the people in the region so that there will be more trade, travel, cultural connectivity and some form of political connectivity,” he added.