Malaysian help for Colombo-Kandy super highway

Rohan MATHES in Kampala, Uganda

President Mahinda Rajapaksa met Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting (CHOGM) sessions in Kampala on Saturday, following his meeting with the Indian delegation.

The talks were cordial and focused on the bilateral relationship between Sri Lanka and Malaysia. The Malaysian Premier assured President Rajapaksa of its fullest assistance for the construction of the Colombo-Kandy ‘Super Highway’ project.

They discussed greater investment opportunities available for Malaysians in Sri Lanka and other trade-related matters beneficial to both countries.

Badawi also expressed his satisfaction and gratitude to President Rajapaksa on his opposition to the suspension of Pakistan from the ‘Commonwealth of Nations’, which in his view was a decision taken sans an in-depth and comprehensive knowledge of the internal matters of that country.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa met the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore Wong Kan Seng in the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) yesterday in Kampala.

The bilateral meeting was warm and cordial and focused on establishing enhanced links in the sphere of security. The Deputy Premier was of the view that a similar link which Singapore already has with countries such as USA, UK and Canada, could also be established with Sri Lanka.

He had also availed President Rajapaksa that there were many job opportunities in the professional and skilled sectors in Singapore for Sri Lankans and to make use of the said opportunities.

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona, President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunga, Sri Lankan High Commissioner for Kenya and Uganda M. K. Keeran, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zainul Abidin Rasheed and other officials attended the meeting.

President Rajapaksa also met the New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and had bilateral talks.

President Rajapaksa drew the attention of Premier Clark on the alleged LTTE activities on New Zealand soil and pointed out to her that out of the leading democracies in the world, New Zealand was one country which has not proscribed the LTTE as a terrorist organisation. Premier Clark has agreed with President Rajapaksa to be more vigilant on the activities of the LTTE on New Zealand ground.

Commonwealth leaders on Sunday prepared a final statement for their summit in Uganda, an event that saw the suspension of Pakistan and intense discussions on climate change. Sri Lanka opposed the suspension.

It was the second time Pakistan has been suspended, the first in 1999 when President Pervez Musharraf seized power.

It returned to the fold in 2004. The leaders also focused on the fight against climate change. The Commonwealth represents two billion people, nearly a third of the global total, drawn from the broadest range of religions and cultures, from the world’s smallest countries to its largest and its poorest to its richest.

They came out with a climate change “action plan” trumpeted by Secretary General Don McKinnon as a “very strong political statement.”

The action plan called for a deal in Bali which “should include a long-term aspirational goal for emissions reduction to which all countries would contribute.”