Foreign Minister’s plan to seek 2040 hot seat at UN Security Council falls through

Bureaucrats at the Foreign Ministry were surprised at a TPN (third person note) they received. Noting that Sri Lanka had made known its decision to seek a seat in the United Nations Security Council in 2040, they were seeking reciprocal support for the country, which also planned to make a bid in another year.

Officials made inquiries and found that Mohan Peiris, Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, had made the application after Foreign Minister G. L. Peiris had granted approval. However, he had not intimated the move to officials.

Now, officials say the matter has also not received Cabinet approval. The reason--the exercise of becoming a UN Security Council member, entails a large amount of expenditure for lobbying and other related matters, a local diplomat said. This comes at a time when staff in some foreign missions have not been paid their allowances due to a lack of foreign exchange. Maybe the Foreign Minister thinks after the IMF bailout Sri Lanka will be 'paradise regained' and a country flowing with milk and honey and US dollars by 2040.