8/26/2007
Dinesh Weerawansa reporting from Japan

OSAKA, Japan, Saturday - A group of Sri Lankans here has appealed to the Japanese Government to play an active role in Sri Lanka's struggle against terrorism.

The 'Lankans Against Terrorism' (LAT), a group of Sri Lankan expatriates, in Japan, has called upon the Government of Japan to play a greater role in Sri Lanka's battle against terrorism and achieve a lasting peace.

"We appreciate Japan's role as one of the Co-Chairs in the peace process. Japan has been Sri Lanka's premier donor country. But we feel, a powerful Asian country such as Japan could play even a greater role at a time Sri Lanka is fighting against terrorism," a spokesman for the 'Lankans Against Terrorism' said.

He said that Japan could put greater pressure on the LTTE and force the Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran to the peace table. "Japan is an influential regional giant. We hope that Japan would treat terrorism in Sri Lanka, similar to that of the US and UK or any other European country. It is important that Asian countries such as Japan and India extend a greater backing to the Lankan Government in its battle against the LTTE, especially to liberate innocent civilians from the clutches of ruthless LTTE rule," he said.

"On the other hand, the Japanese government has continued its big aid packages to Sri Lanka despite interferences, for which we are grateful," the LAT spokesman said.

The LAT appeal comes on the eve of the 19th UN Conference on Disarmament Issues which will be held in Sapporo City from tomorrow till August 29 under the auspices of the United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs and the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific in cooperation with the Hokkaido Prefectural Government, Sapporo City, and Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

High Representative for Disarmament of the United Nations, Sergio de Queiroz Duarte, which will host the conference, will be present.

The conference will also be attended by Takeshi Nakane, Director-General of the Disarmament, Non-proliferation and Science Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sumio Tarui, Ambassador of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament, Yukiya Amano, Ambassador of the Permanent Mission of Japan to the International Organisations in Vienna, other officials and also intellectuals from Japan and other countries in a private capacity.

In a special session to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the entry-into-force of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), Rogelio Pfirter, Director-General of the Technical Secretariat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), will deliver the keynote address.

The theme of the conference in Sapporo is the "New Vision and Required Leadership towards a World free from Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction." Issues such as nuclear non-proliferation regime, nuclear programs of North Korea and Iran, nuclear blackmarket, multinational efforts for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation will be discussed from various points of view.

In June, Foreign Secretary and former Secretary General of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process, Dr. Palitha Kohona met Ambassador Yasushi Akashi and discussed the overall assessment of the situation in the North and East, the Government - LTTE relationship, future talks, the current status of the peace process, the humanitarian situation in the East, the conduct of the Commission of Inquiry and IIGEP and the Co-Chairs.

During the discussion, Ambassador Akashi expressed appreciation of the Government's continued commitment towards achieving peace and its active engagement with the political parties in Sri Lanka towards building consensus for a comprehensive political framework.