Sri Lanka says no to EU conditions on GSP+, ends further talks with EU

Source: http://www.colombopage.com/archive_10A/Jun24_1277387855KA.php

Jun 24, Colombo: Sri Lankan government is ready to terminate talks on the GSP Plus tariff concession with the European Union as it is would not abide by the 15 conditions the European Union had set forth for the extension of the trade facility, the government spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said today.

The Minister made this statement today at the cabinet press briefing where he announced the decisions taken by the cabinet headed by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday.

The Cabinet during its meeting yesterday took the decision to discount the 15 conditions to which the country has to agree to in order to extend the GSP+ facility for another limited term as they are not labour related issues.

"These conditions are not labour related and infringe on the sovereignty of the country and the constitution, and an insult to each and every citizen of this country," Minister Rambukwella said.

The Minister said the conditions set by the EU are political demands that had been made from time to time by Ranil Wickremasinghe, Karu Jayasuriya, Mano Ganeshan, Rauf Hakeem, various INGOs and the Tamil Diaspora, through various organizations and attempted to blackmail the government.

The Minister stressed that the government will never bow down to these political demands of the EU and asserted that the government will make alternative arrangements to compensate the manufacturers, safeguarding the self respect of the government, the country and the people.

Some of the demands set forth by the EU are:

Implementation of 17th Amendment
Repeal of the Emergency Regulations,
Repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA)
Amend the Code of Criminal Procedure
Legislate individuals to submit complaints to the UN Human Rights Commission
Implement opinions of UN Human Rights Committee
Extension of invitations to UN Organizations
Respond to cases currently reported to be pending before the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances
Publication of the final report of the 2008 Commission of Enquiry
Publication of the list of former LTTE combatants held in detention,
Granting of access to places of detention
adoption of National Human Rights Action Plan by Parliament
Ensure journalists to exercise their professional duties without harassment