Exclusive: Sri Lanka risks EU trade concessions if any back-sliding on rights
The European Union will consider stripping Sri Lanka of its duty-free access if it backs off commitments on rights, the EU ambassador said, amid worries stoked by the president’s replacing of the elected premier by a wartime nationalist.
The European Union is worried the return of Mahinda Rajapaksa, as prime minister, could derail halting progress made toward national reconciliation following a war with ethnic minority Tamil separatists that killed tens of thousands, many during the final stages under his watch as president.
“The government got GSP on the basis of certain commitments, if these commitments are not met, then we would consider withdrawal,” EU ambassador to Sri Lanka, Tung-Lai Margue, told Reuters on Thursday.
Margue was referring to Generalised System of Preferences Plus status, under which Sri Lanka’s top exports of garments and fish get lucrative concessions in the world’s largest single market.
Margue was among a group of diplomats who met President Maithripala Sirisena this week for a briefing on the crisis sparked by his sacking of the prime minister.
The EU provides the trade concessions to developing countries, while it also monitors certain conditions including human rights.
Sri Lanka promised the EU in 2016 it would work toward reconciliation with Tamils, who mostly live in the north and east of the predominantly Buddhist nation, through greater political and economic autonomy.
Sri Lanka also pledged to provide justice and reparations to victims of human rights violations committed during the 26-year civil war, many of which were blamed on Rajapaksa and his brother, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was his defense secretary.
Both say the military only targeted insurgents, not civilians.
Margue said some progress had been made toward human rights by the administration of sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, such as the establishment of a missing persons’ office to trace the thousands of Tamils and minority Muslims who disappeared during the war.
But more needed to be done and there were questions about whether a government led by Rajapaksa would pursue justice for victims as vigorously.
“I don’t know what his policy on reconciliation would be like. I have fears it won’t be the one we agreed on,” Margue said.
Rajapaksa was not available for comment, but his son Namal Rajapaksa, who is a member of parliament, defended the family’s record and cautioned against pre-judging policies of the administration.
“Reconciliation has, and always will be, a focal area for us. If there is concern that GSP will need to be withdrawn, these concerns are unfounded and presupposed in error,” he said.
Soon after he was appointed prime minister on Oct. 26 Rajapaksa also struck a conciliatory note, saying he would “eschew the politics of hate”, protect human rights and the independence of the judiciary and establish law and order”.
STRONGEST WARNING
Sirisena suspended parliament last week, after he sacked Wickremesinghe. Wickremesinghe has denounced his removal as illegal.
Both the United States and the EU have called for parliament to be convened at the earliest to let lawmakers decide who should be prime minister of the country of 21 million people.
On Friday, the speaker of parliament said Sirisena had agreed to summon a session on Wednesday next week.
The EU warning on trade is the strongest yet from Western powers which, along with India, the island’s nearest neighbor, have urged Sirisena to abide by the constitution.
On the other hand, China, which invested billions of dollars during Rajapaksa’s presidency, has called for non-interference and said Sri Lanka could tackle its own problems.
Diplomats said trade was key to Sri Lanka’s $87 billion economy and the EU is its biggest export market, accounting for nearly a third of exports in 2017.
Sri Lanka regained the GSP plus preferential treatment in 2017. Its exports to the EU have since jumped 18 percent, and the financial year was not yet over, Margue said.
Fish exports had jumped 100 percent, he said.
China, in contrast, has faced criticism for its big projects that have left Sri Lanka so much in debt it had to hand over control of a port to China.
“It’s better to do trade than have friends, friends who give loans,” said a Western diplomat referring to China’s lending.
Sri Lanka’s garment industry is its second-biggest hard currency earner, after remittances, worth about $5 billion a year, with goods supplied to top brands including Victoria’s Secret, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike and Marks & Spencer.
(Reuters)
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Who the F**** want these concessions?
We are a ‘Sons of the Lion’ Nation; True Sinhala Buddhist.
EU concessions? we don’t want to be the underwear makers for ample EU women bottoms.
Indra, we got to fight this imperialism, my bosom pal.
Please add your worth.
Good News.
I am Manager in Cloth Factory making lad underwear for EU export, factory owner is UNP Minister.
I think EU must stop buying underwear from Lanka; falconry closed and we go home and live happily.
Mahinda and Wimal give us free food and money in new Government.
The EU cannot blackmail the Sri Lankans. The people of Sri Lanka decides whom they want as Prime Minister.
Urina , Thanks for the invitation. I hope I’ll try not to let you down.
There was a time when MR was the president, there were no ‘concessions’ but false accusations fed by the Tamil diaspora in Europe (still I have not seen any solid evidence except the like of flimsy C4 film, they would not allow anybody other than their friends to inspect the original) and all the adversity. SL survived. SL thrived with the help of the Chinese and the Foreign forward investments and money sent home by the srilankans working abroad. There were women in other countries with both big and small bottoms to buy our underwear. Could you give us some factual figures with the original source where we can check how many SL garment factories were closed due to lack of EU concessions that era? If you don’t get it what the EU was trying to do was to punish people in SL in order to get them to ger MR out for them.
Though I can write a lot, I’ll focus on the issue. Sri Lanka has a high court and a supreme court capable of investigating and issuing judgements on constitutional matters. All those harping , threatening EU, US, HRW people got to do is to send one of their henchman who is a SL citizen or an organisation to file a case against Sirisena’s action challenging the constitutional validity.
If you read my posts, I am sure you cannot miss I am in favour of calling a general election to settle the matter to everybody’s satisfaction.
I like to ask about your opinion while the EU was always along with other MR’s critics accusing about nepotism in SL, have not uttered a word so far about Trump’s nepotism.
Yeah Jayaraj,
The current ‘illegally appointed’ FM should promptly cancel diplomatic ties with the EU.
As Kamala says in her blog, Mahinda and Wimal will ‘give us free food and money in new Government.’
Can we live wit hour foreign countries what if all other countries say we do not need srilankan products or manpower what are we going to do will the the present prime minister give food clothing shelter to all who loose their jobs in the export sector are we proving our selves to be fools living in a fools paradise
As several bloggers say, this is an EXCELLENT opportunity to sever links with the EU for interfering in our INTERNAL AFFAIRS.
We are a Sovereign Nation capable of looking after ourselves and we should let the EU know that we do not want their charity and trade concessions.
Who is the current Foreign Minister? Is it still the Yahapalana Crocodile Marapona? or is the Foreign Minister, the progressive Wimal Weerawansa?
C’Mon Foreign Minister, whoever you are, pick up the phone to Angela Merkel, (Boss of EU and German president) and tell her we are gone; that we are severing all links with the EU and withdraw our representative.
For goodness sake, people say something sensible. In the Present or Past give me an occasion anybody in SL has severed links with the EU or anybody else, other than the other way around? If not, at least be honest enough there is not so much of a sovereignty as being told. If you and the EU and the rest of the democratic world harping about and going sleepless for Rajapaksha’s dictatorial way of governing, take into account SL had local council polls postponed for years and then public voted overwhelmingly for the party headed by Rajapaksha. So the public mood has changed now.
Then, if SL is in a DEEEEEEP CRISIS as you say, promote , demand a free and fair general election, which is acceptable to everybody and will deliver the result as decided by the public. If you are not for that go in front of the mirror and tell yourself how deep is your belief in democracy.
The Provincial Council Elections was unable to be conducted due to the bureaucratic bungling of President Sirisena his former SLFP Minister, Faizer Mustapha. This Minister brought a report prepared by the Ministry on the conduct of future PC Elections and had the temerity to vote against the report of his own Ministry!
The major political parties have also been unable to agree on the voting mechanism for PC Elections.
Fundamentally, the President doesn’t want to see another victory by the R Family as was the case in the LG Elections.
If Sirisena reverts to the promise of being a one-term President, most problems facing the country will be resolved.
Conducting Parliamentary elections to resolve constitutional issues is not a solution. Parliamentary elections are expensive events and are meant for renewal of people’s representation in fixed 5 year terms.
Also, I fervently believe that SL should sever diplomatic relations with the EU because of their high hand imposition.