Sri Lanka to persuade EU against trade benefits denial
By IANSTuesday, February 16, 2010
BRUSSELS - Sri Lanka will persuade the European Union for reversal of its decision to suspend the island nation from EU’s preferential trade concessions.
“Sri Lanka will continue her engagement with the EU in the upcoming 6 months with a view to sensitising the European side through a constructive dialogue, concerning both the rapid, demonstrable and sustainable progress that has been gained since the end of the conflict situation, as well as the further steps that would be taken in that direction,” a Sri Lankan foreign ministry statement said here Tuesday.
The statement comes in response to the EU’s decision to temporarily withdraw Sri Lanka from the preferential tariff treatment, known as its Generalised System of Preferences, which grants preferential access to its markets to countries that pursue good governance and sustainable development, EuAsiaNews reported.
The EU’s decision, to be implemented in six months, came in the wake of human rights concerns in the country.
The Sri Lankan embassy in Brussels expressed hope that the EU and its Member states would, “during the process of engagement, pay due attention to the manifold challenges yet faced by Sri Lanka”.
The foreign ministry said that this would result in the timely reversal of the temporary suspension, thereby enabling the people of Sri Lanka to continue to draw on the facility for their economic empowerment, including for the post-conflict recovery and rehabilitation of the country’s north and east.
