Don't give India any economic concessions - JHU

Not to give India any economic concessions following their vote in favour of the US backed resolution

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) urged President Mahinda Rajapaksa not to give India any economic concessions following their vote in Geneva in favour of the US backed resolution.

The party said that in future concessions should only be given following a tender procedure or after a competition among the investors.

Western Provincial Council Minister Udaya Gammanpila said that they were opposed to any appointments being given to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay to monitor Sri Lanka after the passage of the resolution. "We should not grant favours to countries merely because they are our neighbours. Following the vote we can clearly see who is with us and who is against us," he said.

He said India was the only Asian country that sided with the US. Whenever we took a decision, whether economic, political or military, we thought about whether it would affect India, he said.

"Our relationship with India was unique. But with their support of the US, they have also gone against their own foreign policy," he said.

JHU general secretary, Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, said that the foreign service had failed to meet the needs of the country during the battle in Geneva and on other occasions. He said that the need to reorganise the entire foreign service had come to light.

"Embassies should be established in Africa and Latin America. One embassy in Brussels is more than enough to deal with the EU. They take decisions as one, so we do not need an embassy in each EU country," he said.

"We should make our military camps

One embassy in Brussels is more than enough to deal with the EU. They take decisions as one, so we do not need an embassy in each EU country

in the North and East much stronger by providing them with all necessary resources instead of pulling out. No one can dictate terms to us and we should not forget that we have a strong legal system," he said.

He said that the US had wanted to implement a federal system in the country since 1991.

The minister said that the country should adopt an economic system that was beneficial to its people. "More than anything else everyone should keep in mind that the country comes first," he said.