17.12.2007
President
Mahinda Rajapaska speaking at a felicitation for Sir Arthur
C. Clarke, who was celebrating his 90 th birthday, stated
that his Government will take every step to bring Sir Clarke's
wish of lasting peace to the nation.
The
felicitation ceremony was held at the Central Bank Auditorium
in Colombo yesterday (16).
"In his remarks today too, Sir Arthur displayed the
same love for this country, as he listed among his three
wishes, his desire 'to see lasting peace in Sri Lanka
as soon as possible'. Sir Arthur has been fortunate to
see many of his dreams come true.
"I
can give no guarantees on your first two wishes, but I
assure you Sir Arthur that my administration will do all
within its power to make a reality of your third wish,
a lasting peace in Sri Lanka", President Rajapaksa
said.
President
Rajapaksa appreciated the yeoman service extended by the
multi-faceted Sir Arthur as the most famous non-national
who has lived among Sri Lankans for over 50 years since
1956, in the spheres of education and higher education,
science, marine environment, film industry and culture
among others, in the post-independance era.
He
had also immensely contributed by his extensive writing
and broadcast, to promote Sri Lanka's image as a tourist
destination.
His
choice and selection to make Sri Lanka, his adopted land
bore ample testimony for the same.
When
in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, the international
community had expressed their concern on Sir Arthur's
safety and whether he would continue to live in Sri Lanka,
Sir Arthur's spontaneous response in the affirmative helped
draw international attention on the need for a tsunami
warning system.
"Sir
Arthur's passion for Sri Lanka, his adopted home, had
been displayed in abundance by this", the President
added.
Foreign
Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, Former Russian Astronaut
and the first man to walk in space outside a spacecraft
in 1965, Dr. Alexey Leonov, NASA's Solar System Exploration
Member Dr. Michael Zolenesky, former Chairman Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) Prof. U.R. Rao and the Principal
Engineer of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Dr. Sarath
Gunapala also addressed the gathering.
Courtesy
- Government Information