Embassy of the United States

Letters and Speeches

U.S. Ambassador Robert Blake Remarks to Sri Lanka Development Forum
January 29, 2007

His Excellency President Rajapakse, Honorable Ministers, distinguished colleagues from overseas, ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to represent the United States Government and to have this opportunity to address the Sri Lanka Development Forum for 2007.

Mr. President, I congratulate you on the appointment of your new cabinet.  We look forward to working with you and your team on our ambitious joint agenda.

As a representative of one of the four Co-Chair nations, I welcome the efforts by the Government of Sri Lanka, under the leadership of President Rajapakse, to consult with all donors in Sri Lanka to formulate the content and approach to this important forum and consider the friendly advice all of us will provide over the next two days.

The United States and Sri Lanka have long been friends and strong allies.  The U.S. remains deeply committed to continue our assistance to Sri Lanka to enhance economic development, help recover from the tsunami, and work with Sri Lanka on a durable solution to the ethnic conflict that has held back the progress of your nation for more than two decades. 

The United States, like Sri Lanka is engaged in a sustained struggle against terrorism.  We are a strong supporter in assisting Sri Lanka combat terror by helping to stop the financing and flow of arms to the LTTE, by providing law enforcement assistance, and by providing training and equipment to help the Sri Lankan military defend itself. 

Mr. President, the development partnership between the U.S. and Sri Lanka goes back a half a century.  Since 1956, the United States has provided nearly $2 billion in development assistance to Sri Lanka, including $134 million to help your country recover from the devastation of the 2004 tsunami. 

Over the last five decades, the U.S. Agency for International Development has assisted in the development of Sri Lanka in many ways.  Early programs focused on  health and nutrition for children, including development of Thriposha high protein biscuits, which are still in use today, provision of infrastructure such as construction of highways and railways, introduction of new agricultural technology and strategies, and formation of important indigenous organizations like the Agribusiness Council that exist to this day.
Immediately after the tsunami, the USAID-administered relief program helped put victims of the disaster into temporary housing until they could permanently resettle, to get back to work, and to recover from their trauma. 

USAID is also undertaking several long-term tsunami reconstruction projects, including construction of a new bridge over Arugam Bay, the upgrade of three damaged fishing harbors, and construction or rehabilitation of ten vocational education schools to help provide in-demand skills for a growing work force. 

In addition, USAID is working to help Sri Lanka improve democratic processes, encourage transparency, curb corruption, and help the economy compete internationally.  Our workforce programs are striving to upgrade English literacy programs, bring the internet to rural areas, and assist vulnerable populations including people living with physical disabilities, HIV/AIDS, and children and young people affected by either armed conflict, or violence at home. 

Our small grants program in the conflict-affected East brings communities together through collaborative small infrastructure projects, training, and dissemination of accurate, unbiased information about the issues driving the conflict.

No amount of development assistance by the United States or any other donor can have any lasting impact, however, without finding a permanent solution to the conflict that has plagued Sri Lanka for more than 25 years.   We remain unwavering in our conviction that there can be no military solution to this terrible conflict.   Mr. President, we applaud your efforts to forge a strong legislative majority that will support a credible power-sharing proposal that can form the basis for sustained, substantive negotiations between the Government and the LTTE. 

It is clear that while Sri Lanka has achieved impressive GDP growth over the last two years despite such challenges as the tsunami and higher oil prices, the conflict has had a high cost for the Sri Lankan economy and people.  The negative consequences of continued conflict include direct costs such as the higher military and relief expenditures that are required that might otherwise have gone to more productive uses, and the infrastructure that must be replaced.  

There are also high indirect costs such as income lost from forgone public investment, reduced tourist arrivals, reduced foreign direct investment, and the high costs of supporting internally displaced people.   

The conflict has also exacerbated the already uneven provincial growth rates.  The Western Province continues to prosper while most of the the north and east have suffered the consequences of continued fighting.   As many as 200,000 people have been displaced in the last 12 months, and the UN estimates that twice that number could eventually become homeless if hostilities continue.  Rather than working to help the country develop, aid agencies are obliged instead to respond to the humanitarian crisis, offering little hope for long-term development assistance among the various regions of Sri Lanka.

The deep U.S. commitment to the people and State of Sri Lanka brings about an equally deep concern for the difficulties faced by some of our implementing partners in their attempt to implement our assistance programs.  All of America’s development assistance and tsunami relief is implemented through NGO partners.  Yet these NGO partners have faced difficulties that have hampered their ability to carry out their important work. 

• USAID staff and NGO partners are sometimes denied access to deliver assistance to people in need. 
• The process of clearances and approvals for project activities are often not clearly spelled out at the provincial and local level; and can become more arduous without warning. 
• Many NGOs have been the target of unsubstantiated allegations in the Sri Lankan press that have caused the staff of these NGOs to be subject to physical harassment and intimidation.  American NGOs are subject to very strict prohibitions against providing any assistance to the LTTE.  If there are any allegations that humanitarian supplies are falling into LTTE hands, these NGOs and the United States Government would be pleased to cooperate fully to investigate promptly all such allegations and punish those who violate American law. 

Transparency, good governance, and respect for human rights and the rule of law are essential preconditions for economic development and indispensable prerequisites for laying the basis for a lasting peace.

Mr. President, the United States appreciates the positive steps taken by your government to address some of the most vexing issues associated with the conflict, especially the formation of the Consultative Committee on Humanitarian Affairs and the active participation by the Minister for Disaster Management and Human Rights and the Secretary of Defense.  This committee is making productive strides in addressing important issues relating to humanitarian access and human rights in the conflict zones and all of Sri Lanka’s donor partners hope this valuable dialogue can continue. 

In conclusion, let me say that United States attaches great importance to our partnership with Sri Lanka.  We hope Sri Lanka will seize the opportunity to forge a power-sharing proposal that can form the basis for talks with the LTTE that could finally bring an end to conflict in Sri Lanka. 

Peace would invite new investment, accelerate the return of some of Sri Lanka’s best and brightest from abroad, and create a virtuous cycle of peace and prosperity. 

If the peace dividend can be seized, Sri Lanka will prosper in this new century and can serve as a beacon of democracy for others in the region and beyond.  The American people, steadfast friends of Sri Lanka, stand ready and willing to help you realize that goal.    

Thank you.