The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) yesterday warned plans were afoot to expedite the signing of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the US, with the upcoming visit of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and called for the document to be tabled in Parliament ahead of the visit.
UPFA General Secretary Mahinda Amaraweera, along with UPFA MPs Duminda Dissanayake and Weerakumara Dissanayake, told reporters that SOFA could see US military officials exempt from Sri Lankan law, and have access to other preferential treatment. Amaraweera insisted that signing SOFA could undermine the sovereignty of Sri Lanka, and infringe on its independence when dealing with international issues with the US.
“Even though the Government has said they will present SOFA to Parliament before it is signed, we have no faith in this pledge. In the past, the Government has signed agreements without informing Parliament. Therefore before such a situation happens, we call on the Government to carry out its promise and let Parliament have access to this document,” Amaraweera said.
However, the UPFA General Secretary insisted this issue should not be seen as a protest against US engagement with Sri Lanka. He emphasised that UPFA was not against the visit of Pompeo, or other agreements and projects carried out by the two countries.
“The Government has already signed the Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) and this was also done with no notice to Parliament. We are not against the visit by the US Secretary of State, and we do not want to undermine any engagement. But there are concerns that SOFA will give more leeway to the US than the existing ACSA, and therefore the public have a right to be aware of what it is. We have raised these concerns with President Maithripala Sirisena, and he has said that he will seek more information on SOFA from experts and update us as well.”
MP Dissanayake said discussions were ongoing regarding a set of proposals they had presented to the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on National Security, containing points such as the need to establish one law for all communities, need for fresh laws against hate speech, and a unified education system.
“As an Opposition, we should not always disrupt the Government, but as a responsible Opposition, we should work with the Government to build consensus. That is what we are doing now. We have already discussed our proposals with the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on National Security, and they have responded favourably to our suggestions,” he said.
The Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday said Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe expects to discuss a number of issues when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visits Sri Lanka in the last week of June, including counterterrorism and freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean.
The visit of the Secretary of State came about when he spoke with Prime Minister Wickremesinghe in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks.
“PM @RW_UNP expects to have a dialogue with visiting US Secretary of @StateDept @SecPompeo on cooperation between two countries with special emphasis on issues including Counter Terrorism, Indo-Pacific & Freedom of Navigation in the Indian Ocean. #Lka” tweeted National Policies and Economic Affairs Ministry advisor Sudarshana Gunawardana.
Secretary Pompeo will travel to the Indo-Pacific region from 24-30 June. The Secretary’s first stop will be in New Delhi, India, following which he will visit Colombo.
(FT)