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Annual Performance Report 2011

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Annual Performance Report 2011 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT 2011 MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS SRI LANKA CONTENTS Page No. Mission Statement i Subjects and Functions i Mahinda Chintana – Vision for the Future ii Preface iii – ix Progress Reports of Divisions South Asia & SAARC Division 01 - 07 East Asia & Pacific Division 08 - 15 Middle East Division 16 - 22 Africa Division 23 - 30 West Division 31 - 37 UN & Multilateral Affairs Division 38 - 44 Economic Affairs Division 45 – 49 Protocol Division 50 - 53 Consular Affairs Division 54 - 56 Public Communications Division 57 - 65 Legal Division 66 - 73 Overseas Administration Division 74 - 78 General Administration Division 79 – 80 Finance Division 81 – 83 Network of Diplomatic Missions Abroad 84 Organization Chart of the Ministry 85 MISSION “The promotion, projection and protection internationally of Sri Lanka’s national interests, in accordance with the foreign policy of the Government and to advise the Government on managing international developments in keeping with the best interests of Sri Lanka” SUBJECTS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS “Implementation of political plans and programmes in respect of External Affairs; representation of Sri Lanka abroad; international agreements and treaties; foreign Government and international organization representation in Sri Lanka ; external Publicity; diplomatic immunities and privileges and consular function” i I will continue Sri Lanka’s non-aligned foreign policy. During the last four years we witnessed the benefits of maintaining friendly relations with India, Japan, China, Pakistan and other Asian countries. I am committed to continue these friendly relations in the political, economic, defence, trade and cultural arena. I will ensure that Sri Lanka abides by the global treaties and agreements on the environment and climate change and will strengthen Sri Lanka’s ties with the UN Agencies. I will maintain the dignity of my country in foreign relations and will initiate a new programme to forge relations with countries. Mahinda Chintana - Vision for the Future ii PREFACE A country‟s foreign policy is principally shaped by its supreme national interest. Hence, the foreign policy is an indispensable part of the overall policy framework of the government. President Mahinda Rajapaksa was re-elected by the people of Sri Lanka with a resounding majority in January 2010 for a second six year term of office on the platform of a people oriented manifesto –“Mahinda Chitana : Vision for the future”. This manifesto, which forms the backbone of government policy encapsulates the vision of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to transform Sri Lanka into the emerging “Wonder of Asia”. The main objective underpinning this manifesto, which has been formulated in the post-conflict scenario, is to make Sri Lanka once again the “Pearl of the Asian Silk Route” in the modern context. By taking full advantage of the island‟s strategic geographical position in the Indian Ocean, it is envisaged to develop Sri Lanka as a naval, aviation, commercial, energy and knowledge hub, serving as a key link between the East and the West. It is in this backdrop that the Ministry of External Affairs has undertaken its programme of work during the period under review covering this Report, i.e. from 1st January 2011 to date. In terms of the broad guidelines enunciated in the “Mahinda Chintana: Vision for Future” policy framework and under the guidance of the Minster of External Affairs, the Ministry as the Head Office and its network of 58 Missions across the world (excluding the Embassies in Libya and Iraq, which are temporarily closed) have been working assiduously to promote and protect the vital national interests of Sri Lanka abroad. Despite the decisive and comprehensive victory over terrorism that was achieved in May 2009 by the security forces under the inspiring leadership of President Rajapaksa, iii as the Commander-in–Chief of the armed forces, the formidable and extensive global terror network of the LTTE has remained largely intact, retaining much of its vast financial assets and resources. Since the Government has instituted far reaching steps to expeditiously rehabilitate and re-settle the people in the North and the East who had been internally displaced during the conflict and undertaken an impressive and ambitious programme to re- build the war shattered infrastructure and economy in the two provinces, as well as implemented measures to bring about reconciliation and promote harmony among the different communities, who had been affected by the long drawn out internal conflict, the possibility of a resurgence of terrorism in Sri Lanka can be effectively ruled out. However, the overseas LTTE network has not given up its separatist agenda to establish an ethnically cleansed „Tamil Eelam‟ in Sri Lanka, and in the post-conflict scenario, the organization, awash with funds that would have been otherwise used to procure lethal weapons and bombs, has re-invented itself into outfits such as the „Global Tamil Forum‟ and the „Transitional Government of Tamil Eelam‟ and applying these funds to destabilise the Sri Lankan State and undermine the nation building and reconciliation efforts of the government. This phenomenon has manifested itself in concerted efforts by these outfits and their fronts masquerading as human rights NGOs to lobby foreign governments to move resolutions against Sri Lanka at various international fora, as well as fund a major propaganda war against the nation in the form of the production and dissemination of audio-visual material with spurious and misleading information that could easily deceive an unsuspecting audience. Today, in the post-conflict context, the Ministry of External Affairs is focussing its attention to meet the external threat to Sri Lanka‟s sovereignty, territorial integrity and iv national security posed by the overseas network of the LTTE and the government‟s firm commitment to translate President Mahinda Rajapaksa‟s vision to transform Sri Lanka into the „Wonder of Asia‟, a reality through rapid and sustainable socio- economic development. Among the notable achievements of Sri Lanka‟s foreign policy this year have been President Mahinda Rajapaksa‟s visit to New York in September this year to address the 66th session of the UN General Assembly, where he was able to articulate the government‟s policy objectives and its ambitious programme of work of nation building following the end of the internal conflict, to the largest international gathering of Heads of State or Government. Another notable victory was secured at the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth, Australia. At this meeting, Sri Lanka was able to galvanise the support of a large number of fellow member States and successfully ward off attempts to bring into question Sri Lanka‟s hosting the next CHOGM, raising issues of human rights. As a result, the CHOGM has reiterated the earlier decision that Sri Lanka will be the venue for the next Summit in 2013. President Rajapaksa‟s personal interactions with fellow South Asian leaders at the 17th SAARC Summit in Addu City in the Maldives in November 2011, helped to further consolidate the abiding bonds of friendship and mutual goodwill existing between Sri Lanka and her neighbours, as well as provided fresh impetus to transform SAARC into a dynamic regional mechanism. Due to the pro-active measures taken by the Ministry of External Affairs in conjunction with line Ministries and other relevant agencies, as well as the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva, it was possible to pre-empt moves to have the „Darusman Report‟ (the report submitted by a panel of experts appointed by the UN Secretary v General to advise him on accountability matters pertaining to Sri Lanka), which had been formally submitted to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and to the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva at its 18th session, being taken up for discussion in the Council. Moreover, Sri Lanka was also successful in countering a move by a group of countries in the HRC to include on the agenda of the 19th session of the HRC in March 2012. Report of the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) was submitted on 15th November 2011 to H.E. the President. The Ministry took timely action to despatch six Ministers as Special Presidential Envoys to several capitals of current HRC Member States to lobby support to prevent such a procedurally flawed course of action being pursued by the Council. The Ministry is also being re-organized and strengthened in order to meet the objectives enunciated in the „Mahinda Chintana-Vision for the Future‟ policy framework. Towards this end, interviews have been concluded recently to recruit a new batch of officers to the Sri Lanka Foreign Service, while the open competitive examination to recruit a fresh intake of officers to the Foreign Service in 2012 will be gazetted shortly. It is also envisaged to relocate the Ministry of External Affairs from its cramped present premises at the Republic Building (the former Senate building) to a modern and more spacious building to be constructed on a 3.5 acre block of land at Battaramulla, which would befit Sri Lanka‟s image as a rapidly modernising nation and meet the new challenges of the 21st century. In keeping with President Rajapaksa‟s vision, the foreign policy has been given a distinctive people–centric orientation; a tangible manifestation of this direction has been the streamlining and strengthening of the Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry, located at the former BOI building at Baron Jayatilake Mawatha, Colombo 1, in a vi spacious and convenient environment, in order to provide a more efficient and courteous service to the general public, numbering an average of 750 persons who visit the Division daily. Similarly, the consular services offered by the network of Sri Lanka Missions abroad, especially in the Middle East, where the vast majority of expatriate Sri Lankans are employed, have also been revamped to expeditiously attend to the needs of the Sri Lankan migrant workers visiting or calling the missions.
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