President gives cold shoulder to Canada

Friday, 21 June 2013 

Angered by Canada’s decision not to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo this November, the President has refused to accept the credentials of the new Canadian High Commissioner for Sri Lanka, Shelly Whiting.

Although Shelly Whiting had arrived in the country three months ago, the External Affairs Ministry had not made arrangements for her to meet with wither the President or any other senior member of the Presidential Secretariat.

A senior External Affairs Ministry official when inquired said that the President has rejected several requests made by External Affairs Ministry Secretary Karunathileka Amunugama to get an appointment for the new Canadian High Commissioner to get her confirmation. Whiting has returned to Canada following the undiplomatic actions of the President. She had returned to her country since the visa had expired in three months. She is to return to Sri Lanka next week. In the event the President continuously refuses to accept Whiting’s credentials, it could create a huge diplomatic row between the two countries. The official said that this was a diplomatically bad situation and said that even External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris’ actions during the German tour were in violation of diplomatic practices.

The Minister during a special news conference in Germany on the 17th had said that there were LTTE fronts still operating in Germany without taking the opportunity to thank the German government for defeating a resolution that was presented to the German parliament by a group of MPs supportive of the LTTE. Members of the European Union had met and discussed the false statement made by the Minister and expressed their displeasure to the Minister and the External Affairs Ministry.

Minister Peiris has responded by saying that his comments had been misquoted by the media.

We have published several photographs taken during Peiris’ German tour