Sri Lanka rejects ‘insulting’ EU trade conditions
COLOMBO (AFP) – Sri Lanka Thursday trashed “insulting” EU demands that it make a written undertaking to improve its human rights record in exchange for trade benefits.
Government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said Colombo also rejected a July 1 deadline issued by the European Union to agree to a host of other conditions to qualify for preferential trade tariffs.
“These conditions are unacceptable. They are an insult to every citizen of this country,” Rambukwella told reporters in Colombo. “We must put the EU demand in the dustbin.”
He said the EU conditions affected internal security. The EU wanted Sri Lanka to relax some of the provisions of its draconian Prevention of Terrorism law, which was not possible, he added.
The EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, has insisted on “significant improvements on the effective implementation of the human rights conventions” for the island to continue enjoying the trade benefits.
The EU trade scheme gives 16 poor nations preferential access to the vast European market in return for following strict commitments on a variety of social and rights issues.
These benefits will be withdrawn on August 15 unless Sri Lanka makes a written commitment by July 1, according to the EU.
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Good try anthony jones. Could you please first advise Moon to set up an inquiry to investigate human rights abuses in Afganisthan and Iraq and in other US internment camps run by USA and its allies. They happened before 18 May 2009 and therefore should be investigated before Sri lanka. Can you understand the logic? Once they were done and the reports were published then they can turn to Sri Lanka. What is not right is to have two sets of standards one for rich and another for poor. I hope you can understand logic.
Using your own logic, if US and UK also have nothing to hide (like your statement about Sri lanka) then UN should investigate them first and US and UK must not object. Can you also ask Moon for a similar investigations on Tienman massacre in China, the killings in Burma (about 2 years or so ago). Then Sri Lanka would come next in order and then UN can investigate the recent clashes and deaths in Thailand?
If you don’t like the way I suggested then can you logically explain why not?